Left my Heart in the Water
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: A terrible tragedy catapaults a young infant from one realm to the next. A world of elements. Of Benders. Found and raised by a young Tonraq and Senna, this little boy may just help the Avatar bring balance world, or destroy it. Because his realm has not left him behind; nor has it forgotten him. It has only just begun. This is their story. NarutoxKorra!
1. Cascade

**A/N: MISS ME GUYS?!**** I'm woking almost daily and I feel like crap, as to that effect. But nevertheless, despite this pesky little hiccup-I wanted to get word out any way I could, and since for some strange reason the site is being buggy, I wasnt able to work on this anywhere near as much as I would've liked. Still...so many reviews!**

**I love you guys so much! *Cries***

**Now, this chapter might be a bit confusing consider I haven't done something like this in awhile. With good reason! My job has been beating the living hell out of my as of late! This was REALLY had to write with being tired from work; exhausting, actually. But I'm proud of it, and I hope you enjoy it as I finally get some rest.**

**This story was birthed from the idea that I've been rewatching the Legend of Korra like crazy as of late. And this idea just sort of..happend, really. I hope ya like it!**

**Well...here ya go! =D Sorry if its short! But hey, at least I'm back! And now, I present to you...**

**...**Left my Heart in the Water!****

_"What have we here...?"_

_~?_

**Cascade**

The South Pole was the picture of serenity.

Shimmering seas of and white snow all; its every edifice seemed to promise peace and tranquility for those who dwelth within. It was here that the those of the Southern Water Tribe and the hardy folk who inhabited it, dwelt. Sheltered away from the politics of the world andt the chaos of its cities and towns, they lived a peaceful life here. There was a simplicity to life here, a sense of family, a close-knit community who cared for their own, but did not turn others away out of simple greed.

The people of the south were a kind, but hardy folk, capable of enduring whatever nature threw at them. And as a reward

Most dreamed and went their entire lives without setting foot in this snow tundra, went to the afterlife without behold without beholding the majesty of the southern lights. It was a wonderous place, for those capable of weathering the foul and fickle elements, the reward was great indeed.

In the time since the hundred year war, the people here had formed a tenuous peace amongst themselves; living a fair, if sometimes harsh life amidst the snow drifts. But most prospered regardless. Yes, it was peace, and peace was always preferrable to its unruly brother, chaos.

Today that peace was shattered.

"Waaaaaaah!"

A child's cry split the comparitve silence of Tonraq's igloo, jolting him out of a fitful slumber. Blearily, he turned his attention toward the fur-skinned crib. He didn't have to look twice to know that his daughter was wide awake, screaming for attention. At only three months old, Korra had already proven that she _did not _like to be ignored. Indeed, she seemed to realize he was awake, and he _wasn't _paying attention to her. That, Tonraq knew, was nonsense, but sometimes it seemed she really was sensitive to these things...

Beside him, Senna groaned.

"She's crying again, huh?"

"Yeah...

His wife-bless her-was already up, reaching into the crib to scoop her out. Those tiny little eyes were squeezed shut in defiance, her small mouth still open in a loud cry. It didn't trail off in the least as her mother pulled her close to her chest; it seemed she wasn't hungry, after all. No need to change her diaper, either.

Senna sighed softly, rocking the mewling babe in her arms, humming. "There, there, Korra. Its okay...sh...mommy's here." Impossibly, she only wailed louder. "Okay, that didn't work." Tonraq took that as his cue that it was time for him to get up. Flopping out of bed, he gathered himself up and reached for her his crying daughter.

"Here, let me take her."

Senna proffered her without a word; sure enough, Korra quieted.

"Such a daddy's girl." she hummed softly, touching a hand to her child's cheek. Then, inexplicably, Korra stared screaming again; this time even _louder._ The parents exchanged a bewildered glance.

"What's gotten into her?"

"I don't know-

_BA-KRAM!_

With a deafening crrrraaaaack of a sound, something thudded into existence just outside the homestead. The entire world seemed to start in surprise, then hold its collective surprise. Silence fell. No words were needed, no thoughts shared between them as they scrambled outside to see what could've caused such a commotion.

Tonraq, still holding Korra, didn't get there first.

Senna did. What she found there, just outside their home, cradled in a crater-doubtlessly the source of the noise- baffled her. It looked like...she didn't know what it looked like.

She found herself staring at a tiny bundle of cloth. Closer inspection revealed that it was no mere base bundle; there was something _inside _that delicate-looking cloth. Curious, she reached down and plucked it up off the snow, dusting it free of the wet slush. Almost immediately, a loud wail sound vented from the parcel. "Waaaaaaaaaah!' _Spirits preserve me!_ Senna gasped, and would've dropped the parcel right then and there, but, her maternal instincts kicked in and caused her to clutch it close. Fear and confusion clutched at her breast,

Tonraq stifled a small smile at his wife's skittishness but his amusement didn't last long when she turned to face him, presenting the offering in question. A quiet oath fled from his lips.

"What in the world...

Th bender's mouth opened in a small, round O. It wasn't some gift. It was a _child._ A mewling babe, only a few hours lold. Here. Out in the cold. That shouldn't be possible. No infant-much less a one that looked to be a newborn!- should be able to survive out in the cold like this the threshold like this. They peered down at him in disbelief and amazement. How had he gotten here? At that very moment the baby ceased its cries and opened its eyes.

_Blue._

That was Senna's first thought as she stared down into those bright pools, squinting up from that whiskered face. She looked deeper and saw power. A power so terrible that she could barely grasp at the enormity of it-and that frightened her. All that strength, made manifest in this child. This boy...what was he? Something in her heart trembled, though she knew not why.

"I don't believe it." Tonraq murmurred, clutching a fur-clad Korra to his chest. "How did he get out here?"

Senna didn't know what to say. What _could_ she say?

Then those pudgy little arms reached up at her and Tonraq, tiny fingers curling in planitive need. The mother made a delighted sound, her squeamish anxiety all but forgotten as she stared down at that little button-like nose, gently tickling with a finger. The child grinned toothlessly. In that instant, Senna was stricken. "Oh, he's adorable!"

"We can't just leave him out here...

"No, I suppose we can't."

Korra, sweet, tiny Korra, seemed to burble her agreement. Those bright blue eyes fastened on the child in Senna's arms, staring at the whiskered infant.

Tonraq and Senna exchanged a bemused glance.

"Korra seems to like him..."

"What shall we call him, then?" Senna asked at last. Her mind frowned a bit at her own inquiry. He certainly knew how to cry. Poor little guy.

"He already has a name." Tonraq murmurred, sounding slightly awed. "Look." Their eyes fell to the words stitched into the cloth of his red blankets. Senna hummed thoughtfully to herself. Such a strange name. She'd never seen one like it before, not in all her years. She tried it out, sounding out the boy's name, rolling it on her tongue.

"Naruto."

In response, the boy smiled that same, toothless smile. In Tonraq's arms, Korra gurgled happily, content.

_And so, a legend began._

**A/N: And so there you have it! NarutoxKorra, growing up together in the Avatar-verse! Initially, I had thought to go with the whole NARUKO idea, but hey, I already have a fem!Naruto and Avatar story in the works. Avatar: A Legacy Untold! After all, I've tried so many different offshoots off the Avatar genre as a whole that I finallythought to myself, you know what? I should get back to basics. And so here we are, at the start of it alll...and hilarity shall ensue! Naruto will have his chakra still, but as to being a bender...well, his situation will be...unique. Wonder what I mean? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned to find out!**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview!**

**(Preview!)**

_"Naruto~!"_

_The blond groaned and tried-unsuccessfully-to bury his head into the pillow to muffle out the sound of the voice. His body nestled deep, deeper, under the furs of his bed and lay very still, as though, if he were just still enough, she'd let him sleep in. It worked for all of three seconds. Then someone ripped open the flap of his igloo. Aaaaargh! Shards of light stabbed into his bright blue eyes, blinding him. Blearily, his mind reached out and bent the shadows around him-yes, the shadows!-enclosing himself in a coccoon of darkness. Sweet, blessed darkness. Ah. Now he could rest. If she'd just leave him be-_

_"Aha! Found you! Now...wake up!"_

_Then someone jumped on him._

_"Ooof!"_

_Being an astral bender -damnded White Lotus, dubbing him as such!- certainly had its perks, but this was not one of them. He couldn't bend the elements in a conventional sense like most-rather, he bent other things, things one might not expect. Shadows were but one of them; good for muffling nose and keeping the light out of his eyes...not so much for dealing with the impact of a seventeen year old girl jumping up and down on his chest. _

_With a groan and a wheeze he felt the air exploded out of his lungs. he lost control of the element and collapsed against the bed, strong arms pinning him down. Bright blue eyes stared back at him from a heartshaped face, framed by chestnut hair, her mouth set in a cocky, cheery little grin. He didn't want to smile he told himself, his mouth just happened to be moving in that direction when he saw her._

_"Korra...get off."_

__"Nope." impossibly, her grin gew. Naruto growled half-heartedly at her, a stray spark skittering between his teeth. It was well within his power to simply become the energy-the lightning-and give her a good jolt for her troubles. It wasn't lightning in the sense of Firebending; not when he could physically become the element, radiate it from his skin with a simple thought. A strong enough jolt could paralyze someone, cause muscles to clamp down, atrophy, even. But he wouldn't do that to Korra. Couldn't. After all, she was his best friend.__

_"Is there a reason you got me up so early?" he sighed at last, hoping the traitorous beat of his heart wouldn't betray him. A master bender she might be, but Korra could be very...oblivious to certain things._

_"My firebending test is today." she said it was though this explained everything. "You promised you'd watch."_

_...I did?" his jaw opened in a bone-cracking yawn. He'd meant it in jest, but her eyes flashed. Uh-oh._

_Then the watebender gave him a shake that sent his head spinning. Gah! So strong!_

_"Yes, you did!"_

_Naruto groaned, aquescing to her demands at last. "Alright, alright, let me up...you've kind got me pinned here." A pause. "Not that I mind." Shit! Why did I say that?!_

_Korra colored and clamored off of him. Oh. Naruto blinked. Ohhhh..._

_Not so oblivious after all, then..._

_**R&amp;R! =D**_


	2. Years Gone By

**A/N: MISS ME GUYS?!**** I'm woking almost daily and I feel like crap, as to that effect. But nevertheless, despite this pesky little hiccup-I wanted to get word out any way I could, and since for some strange reason the site is being buggy, I wasnt able to work on this anywhere near as much as I would've liked. Still...so many reviews!**

**I love you guys so much! *Cries***

**Now, this chapter might be a bit confusing consider I haven't done something like this in awhile. With good reason! My job has been beating the living hell out of my as of late! This was REALLY had to write with being tired from work; exhausting, actually. But I'm proud of it, and I hope you enjoy it as I finally get some rest.**

**This story was birthed from the idea that I've been rewatching the Legend of Korra like crazy as of late. And this idea just sort of...happend, really. I hope ya enjoy it! I've done something that the series hasn't expanded upon to my knowledge; in this, the second chapter, we'll be seeing various scenes from Korra and Naruto's time in the South when they were little. The timeline is a wee bit wonly there, naturally. Of course, the story will be moving ever onward-but I ask you, what's the point in reading about romance if we don't know where it begins? Also, warning! There's a wee bit of violence in this chapter, but save that, there's plenty of humor and a TON of fluff...**

**Well...here ya go! =D Sorry if its short! But hey, at least I'm back! And now, I present to you, the next chapter of...**

**...**Left my Heart in the Water!****

_"I've always been there for you, Korra. Why would that change now?"_

_~?_

**Years Gone By**

Korra was four years old when she realized she was the Avatar.

Naruto was _five_ when he realized he could mold shadows to his will. That he could _become_ them, hiding for hours without being seen. Next year came the lightning. Raw powerful, the very heavens themselves. Then he learned to be other things. So many different things. It was the sort of bending you normally didn't see, didn't expect. As he grew older, so too did these abilities. He learned to control-alter-things at the molecular level like dust, _wood_ and pelts of fur. Cloth. Other things, shape it to his will. It wasn't a perfect science, and it didn't always work, but when it did...

It was a new style of bending, one the world had never seen. They started calling him an Astral Bender, not only for his ability to project himself into whatever he wielded, but to become it. The primary elements, Fire, water, earth and air were still presently been barred to him, but not for lack of trying. When he tried to summon fire he only burned himself; the earth would not obey his commands, water only drenched him, and the lone time he'd tried his hand at airbending, he'd nearly suffocated himself.

Still, Naruto flourished in those other areas, and so did Korra.

By the time she was eight, she'd already mastered waterbending and finally started on her earth and firebending training. Much to Naruto's ire, she was very, very inventive with her native element...

_Very inventive indeed._

* * *

_"You are so dead!"_

An eight-year old Korra grinned at the poisoned snark as she skipped backwards in retreat, gracefully twirling out of the way as Naruto's shadow snapped at her heels. An icey wall imploded on itself as the black whip struck it; spraying the two children with snow. Momentarily blinding them. The waterbender didn't hesitate in the slightest; in the time it took Naruto to withdraw his dark tether she turned and bolted...but not before bending the falling ice back into water and soaking her playmate for a second time. The blond's furious shout was like sweet, sweet music to her ears.

"KORRA!"

"Catch me if you can, slowpoke!" Korra laughed back, her voice echoing in little, delighted peals as she racced across the compound. Naruto's infuriated shout echoed behind her, closing in. She knew he'd catch her, eventually-he almost always did!-but that wasn't what caused her to giggle whilst she ran, hammering pell-mell around a nearby corner, _shrieking_ as he pelted after her down the frozen halls. This! This was why she enjoyed pranking him so!

Korra loved to run, shout, fight, and jump, delighting in most things boys enjoyed, things most girls her age _certainly would not do,_ to the amusement of her parents and the constant consternation of the White Lotus members guarding her and Naruto. She wondered about that, sometimes. Naruto wasn't the Avatar. She was. So why did they watch _him_ so closely? Why did they refuse to let him leave the compound? Did they hate him? She'd spied on a pair of guards once, heard them call Naruto an abomination-whatever did that mean?-seen the dirty looks cast his way, but never thought to tell him.

But here and now, such thoughts were the furthest thing from her mind. She was too caught up in the blissful, single-minded joy that only a child could know. He was her only true friend outside of Naga, the only boy her age in the compound. She didn't care that he bent strange things. Like shadows, or-

"Got you!"

_Lightning._

Korra squealed as Naruto flashed past her in a streak of blue, his body solidyifing from the element moments later, reclaiming physical form once more. Too close! Frantic, she tried to dig her heels into the ice and stop, but sense-and her bending-momentarily abandoned her. She'd just enough time to see those bright blue eyes_ bulge_, the deep navy furs he wore stiffening in surprise with his body as he tried -and failed spectacularly!- to brace himself for the impact. Then she slammed headlong into him and they went down in a tangle of arms and legs, rolling in the snow.

Korra got ahold of him by a wrist and he yelped, biting her arm. She retaliated by pulling his hair, her bare hands closing on the flaxxen locks and giving a good hard yank. It only took her a moment to realize that she was laughing and so was he, their little scuffle eliciting giggles and snickers from both blond and bender both. They wrestled a moment longer, two children playing in the winter ice, utterly ignorant of the world. Finally he cheated and bent at her; giving her the tiniest of jolts through the arm.

Now it was Korra's turn to yelp. She jerked backwards, her hair standing on end from the small surge. It didn't so much hurt as it did embarass...and boy, was Korra embarassed!

"Ha! You should see your face!" Naruto laughed merrily where she'd left him; until she bent the ice and knocked him sideways. "Ow!"

Korra huffed quietly and tried to straighten her now-frizzy locks. Victory was hers! "I win," she smirked proudly to herself, with all the confidence and menace an eight-year-old Avatar could muster. "Unless...you wanna go again? So confident was she, that she never saw Naruto's shadow-a thin tendtril of his own circling to her unprotected backside-until, it was almost too late. With a startled yelp, she found her shade yanked out from under her very feet, unseating her and planting her headfirst in the firmly compacted snow. Naruto rose with a smile of his own, dusting himself off with swift, efficient sweeps of his arms.

Still smiling, he sauntered over to her and took hold of a twitching leg. One firm tug later and Korra found herself hanging upside down, glaring at his lopsides grin. Quietly, she cursed the fact that Naruto was so tall-he had at least a full head on her-and thus able to lift her with ease. She took some solace in the fact that he was at least a little out of breath; his exhaustion stemming forward in short, misty plumes of warmth.

"I win." he corrected. "Again." He _always_ beat her.

"One of these days I'm gonna beat you!" she swung at him pitifully from her upside down perch, struggling in vain to connect. "I swear!"

"Oh, yeah?" He gave her a shake. "How ya gonna do that?

"I don't know how...but I-

"Naruto!" Tonraq's voice called from across the compound, interrupting her. "I need you over here!"

"Coming, uncle!" he dropped her and bounded away without so much as a second glance. "See you later, Korra!"

She watched him go, and wondered at that tiny pang in her heart.

Korra, should one ever care to ask, would be absolutely _charmed_ to tell them all about her new friend. Naruto was wonderful, and said she had very pretty eyes; Naruto was always willing to watch her bend or play on the wall; Naruto was helping with her reading. Naruto created cool firewroks with his lightning: a snarling dragon and badger-moles of sparkling light; howling platapyus bears; brightly colored wolf-bats and polar-bear dogs. She liked his bright blond hair; it reminded her of the sun. He liked to carve and tan things, too. He had a whole box of different kinds of flutes; and drums and lutes of all sorts.

Oh, and he always gave her the _coolest_ presents! Korra had a bright blue carving hair ribbon and azure stockings she wore to her lessons, and he'd carved her this wonderful knife for their eigth birthday just last week, and she always wore it in her belt. Mamma had smiled when she'd shown her, asked if she planned to carve _him _anything for his birthday. Korra answered yes, of course, pausing only to ask what that meant. Mamma, sweet, indulgent Mamma, laughed and promised to tell her when she was older.

Thoughtfully, touched a hand to the tiny keepsake. That wrung a smile from her.

"I will beat you." she huffed to herself. "Definitely."

* * *

Another four years passed in the enthusiastic chaos of their childhood. Naruto mastered what he came to call Shadowbending and Korra came into her own earthbending skills. Neither were aware that they'd ever been targeted by the Red Lotus; indeed, they never even learned of it. Their lives continued in ignorant bliss, and so too did their training regiment. Naruto learned an entire new host of skills that extended beyond the realm of what was thought to be possible; such as drawing on different energies to strengthen himself. Even the very natures of energ itselfy-some said spirits-into himself, thereby strengthening his body for a limited time.

It was no Avatar State, the White Lotus scribes decried, but it was something to be noted.

Korra couldn't help but notice that his eyes always changed color when he did this. Sometimes they were yellow. Others, orange.

Once, they were even_ red._

Gradually, the gap between their skillsets began to shrink. When they fought their matches came closer and closer and though Naruto won without fail, it was no longer a certain thing. She wasn't certain if he was being civil with her, or if she was just getting that good.

At twelve years of age, Korra was already well into her Firebending instruction.

It was also the day she finally earned her first victory against her best-friend-turned-rival...

...but, in the end, was it truly worth it?

* * *

They'd been going at it for nearly an hour now.

_"Orah!"_

Naruto grunted in surprise as Korra's flaming fist brushed his ribs, scoring a thin line against his leathers. His left hand rose, catching the next blow, snuffing out the flame in her hand. It was with some satisfaction that she saw him cringe, hissing softly against the burns brought on by the extinguished blast. Her knees rose to smash into his groin and so did his fist to her gut-then there was no more time for thought as they collided in a blinding blur of bending and blows.

There was no time for any notion of anything other victory; the soon-to-be teenagers fought with everything they had and held nothing back. Lightning and flame. Shadow and water, always hissing spitting, collding, so savage a storm that those watching could barely mak out either in the malestrom.

Somehow she eked out a small victory as one of her water whips struck home, raising a welt on the blond's cheek. Naruto jerked backward and they broke apart, each panting for breath. Korra permitted herself a small sneer at the facial wound, confident in her victory.

"What's wrong?" she gasped out, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. "I though you were a little faster than that!"

"Is that supposed to make me angry?" Naruto sighed.

"Fine then," she shrugged. guess I'll just have to eat that last cup of-

Her words ended abruptly as a spark sailed through the air to obliterate one of her ponytails, hair and all. The ceramic clasp that once held it together skittered across the ground, rolling to a halt beneath Naruto's foot a moment later. His boot crunched down, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Naruto chuckled. Softly at first; little more than a snicker, slowly building in intensity until his very shoulders shook. When he raised his gaze, she saw a frightful gleam in his eyes, slitted and red as the color of blood. Too late, Korra realized she might have pushed her childhood friend a little too far...

"You want fast?" he hissed. "I'll show you _fast!"_

Just as swiftly Naruto struck back at her for this temerity, thrusting his hand forward, fingers splayed. Korra was already in motion by the time the lightning crackled at his fingertips; rolling, twisting-dodging-moving like a leaf in the wind even as the blue line scoured jagged destruction in her wake. She hammered him as she moved, peppering the bermused blond with hot blasts of fire and chunks of frigid ice, forcing him on the defensive, to intercept these missiles rather than target her.

It was a sound strategy by any tactician; keep up the offense and prevent him from fighting back. In this case, _becoming_ lightning and jolting her senseless. One look told her he knew what she was planning and in the same instant he ceased his attack she switched to a new one. Now it was whips of shadowy darkness-his own shadow-that rose around him, catching those sharpened shards of ice even as she created them all, flinging them back at her face with enough force to crater the ring in which they fought. Thankfully, neither of them yet knew how to bend metal, or this might get messy...

"C'mon, Korra!" he cat-called at her, sneering. "You know this isn't going to work! Maybe I should turn up the heat?"

_Crap._

Before she could protest Naruto slammed his fist down into the arena, cratering it. But this brief display of physical strength wasn't what she feared. It was thetine of blue that came after, sparking and spitting, licking out in every direction. _Shockwave!_ Korra wasn't quite quick enough; even as she moved to leap, the blast caught one her legs. Every muscle froze, clamping down. In that split second Naruto was on her, fist clenched, arm drawn back, his young face confident in its victory.

Korra barely got out of the way in time, even then the near-miss was enough to make her gasp.

She didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her sweat. Instead, she kept moving.

Once, Korra had detested such a roundabout way of fightning. She was a brawler on principle-she wanted to attack! However, after those first few ill-fated attempts to attack him head on ended with her in a spasming heap from his lightning, or cold and shivering from the darkness he commanded, she'd learnt to adjust. To remain set in her ways was the anithesis of her tribe and to guarantee defeat. So she changed. Re-tailored all of her techniques. You couldn't attack someone like Naruto head on. She knew that now. It was suicide.

Flanking him however, was another matter.

She'd had to learn to dodge after four years of getting knocked on her ass. Some might say that adjustment took years upon years to master-but from the ashes of countless defeats Korra had discovered a new fighting style. And like a phoenix being reborn from those ashes, she was stronger than ever before. She was evolving, not just as an Avatar, but as a person as well.

Instead of simply slamming into her favorite blond with wide, area-encompassing attacks she went in hard and fast; always moving, always attacking, never giving him a moment to rest. Aggressive. _Be aggressive._ She knew better than to let her anger take ahold of her, lest it cost her the fight. She'd by no means mastered her temper, but she was no longer a slave to it, either. Let the White Lotus often reprimanded her for this style, for listening to her friend. She was content.

It wasn't the way his blue eyes flashed scarlet she told herself, the strange way he made her heart pound when he looked at her. She simply loved to fight. It reminded her of the old days when they'd chase each other around the compound. But this, this, this got her _blood_ flowing. Racing. Her tongue flitted between her lips, mocking him.

"Too slow!"

Naruto's only reply was to laugh; evidently he was enjoying himself just as much.

"You...!"

She hurled a fireball and succeeded only in grazing him as he dodged, eliciting a startled yelped as he patted down his burning hair. For a painful moment, Korra's heart lurched.

Then he grinned. "Why'd ya stop? I'm fine!"

_Aaaargh!_

Korra scowled and stomped, creating a boulder and kicking it at him with bonecrushing force. Naruto simply raised his forearm to block, the rock crashing harmlessly against his impromptu shield. There! Before he had a chance to recover she bounded forward. Then she had him-pouncing-driving herself down atop of him, forcing him to the floor. She felt eight years old all over again as they scuffled, grappling with one another, each seeking a proper handhold by which to best the other. This time, Korra actually got the upper hand, her head striking his with a resounding "_thwack"_ of sound, loud and resounding.

Naruto grunted and jammed a leg into her stomach, forcing the breath from her lungs. She headbutted him again. They wrestled a moment longer, no longer children, but not quite adults, each determined to claim the win, to earn victory over one another. Finally he lost his patience and bent at her; giving her the tiniest of jolts through the arm. Korra spasmed, her muscles clamping down for a moment. That was all it took for Naruto to get his legs out from under her and push, propelling her her backwards. Lightning crackled in his palm and shadows in the next, meant to finish the match. Her.

_No!_ she seethed. _I refuse to lose! Not this time!_

In the same instant that he jolted forward again, Korra opened her mouth and _spat._

Fire met Lightning and both exploded in a blinding haze of white.

Both benders found themselves thrown backwards in the ensuing detonation. Rendered blind and deaf. Ears ringing. Bodies sprawled.

When Korra finally came to, the first thing she knew was the screams. Naruto's screams. Woodenly, she scrambled to her feet and nearly screamed herself, for what she saw there was like a knife to her heart. Her best friend was _writhing_ on the ground in agony, clutching at his face. Crying. White Lotus sentries were clamoring down from the stands to tend to him, and she could see Katara amongst them, her wrinkled face tight with concern. Water was drawn from a nearby cistern, pooled across her fingers, laid on his quivering visage.

_No._

"Sh," she soothed at him, "Its alright, you're going to be fine. Just fine...

_No!_

Korra tried to go to him, she really did, but her legs wouldn't move; it felt as if she were rooted. She saw it all from a great distance-as if she were standing outside herself. This wasn't happening. Couldn't be happening to her. Not her. Not _him._ Naruto was strong. Naruto didn't get hurt. She'd _burned_ him. Tears gathered in the girl's eyes, glittering like jewerls. A small sob forcing itself from her lips. No. This wasn't happening. This was a dream. Yes. No. Yes, that was it. No. This was all a terrible dream, and she'd wake up any minute now, unless it wasn't, which meant...which meant...no!

_No!_

_Nonononononono!_

_**NO!**_

"Korra," he croaked her name, his voice weak and hoarse. "Where is she..?" Just like that her feet were free, whatever spell held her vanished. Katara tried to shoo her away, saying he was quite alright, but the young bender would have none of it; she wriggled into the space between two sentries and scrambled to his side, craning her head to get a look at him. Almost immediately, she wished she hadn't. The tears in her eyes gave a final tremor and spilled over, running down her cheeks.

Korra _screamed._

Mercifully, someone struck her on the back of the head before the shock of what she'd seen could break her mind.

* * *

When she came to, the first thing she felt was Naga licking her. The first thing she _saw_ was her mother's face. Korra groaned.

"Gah, down girl...Mamma?"

"Oh, sweetie...

The world came back to her in fits and starts after that, bleary shapes finding cohesion and clarity against the murkiness of her nightmares. But she knew it wasn't a dream. Memory ruthlessly crashed down around her, reminding her of her sin, of what she'd done. It didn't matter that she was snug and warm in her bed, her body wrapped in warm furs and blankets. Every inch of her felt cold, frozen solid by the knowledge of what she had done to her best friend. Spirits preserve her, she'd _hurt _him...

"Where is he?" she shot upright, despite Senna's gentle attempts to force her back down. "Is he alright?"

"He's fine, but Korra, maybe you shouldn't-

A figure departing the igloo snatched her attention away. Despite Naga's whine and her mother's cry of "Korra!" the young bender jumped up, and bolted out the door. Once more, the retreating figure, wearing Naruto's signature black and blue furs, caught her attention. Korra hesitated, rounding another bend... only to find him just out of sight. Was he trying to avoid her? That put paid to her step.

Darting around a stack of crates, she found him by the ice wall. Somehow he'd managed to find his way up there and thus he sat; his legs hanging over the edge, his back to her. After only a moments hesitation, Korra stomped right up to him, waterbent her way up the wall, and plopped down beside him. Naruto didn't say anything. Not a word. He didn't even move. Irritated, the young waterbender grabbed him by the shoulder, and forced him to look at her.

"There you are."

He turned slowly.

Korra froze.

When she saw him, her hands formed a small tent over her mouth, even then it couldn't quite contain her horror. Naruto was burned. The lower right side of his face and his neck, would forever bear a mark of her anger, of her violence. She'd lost her temper, and he'd paid the price for it. He smiled, his lips twitching slightly, stretching the scar. His practice helmet must've been burned into his skin during the blast; that was why it looked as it did. Because of her. Because of her. Her fault. All her fault...!

Naruto must've realized she was ready to bolt, because he caught her by the hand before she could jump up and flee down the wall. His grip was like iron; no matter how hard she tugged, she couldn't get away. Korra cried out:

"I don't want to see it!"

"Hey, its not so bad," he soothed, his voice cracking ever so slightly. "Katara's gonna try to get some spirit water from the North Pole; with any luck, it'll heal, and 'sides, you got me pretty good..." After a few moments of unsuccessful tugging, Korra relented and allowed herself to be tugged down beside him. Her head came to rest upon his shoulder, almost without thinking. If he was at all offended by the clost contact, he did nothing to say so. They sat there for a long moment, together, sa

"I'm not mad at you, 'ttebayo." he said at last. "You know that, right?"

She whimpered softly at the thought, her lower lip jutting out in a defiant pout. "I don't want to hurt you like that again...

He gave her an odd look. "Then don't."

"But what if I-

He reached over and poked her in the forehead. Hard. Korra jerked back.

"OW! What was that for!"

"Don't second guess yourself." Naruto replied, his blue eyes meeting hers unflinchingly. "The past is in the past." He tugged her back down, and her forehead met his. Her heart skipped a beat; in that instant, no word, no syllable, no matter how great, could possibly describe how she felt.

In the end, she simply nodded and scooted closer to him.

"Alright...

* * *

While misery may be fleeting, happiness is ever eternal. The days stretched by endlessly, grey sky pressing down on the South Pole and the two tiny benders as they slowly grew from children to adults. The White Lotus just wanted it to be over. Tonraq and Senna shook their heads and chuckled at the havoc wrought by their daughter and childhood friend. Neither knew it at the time but those simple, peaceful days wouldn't last. There was word of unrest in Republic City. Talk of a group called the Equalists.

Five years blurred by in the blink of an eye.

And then, almost without warning, the fateful day came.

The day everything changed.

* * *

_"Naruto~!"_

The blond groaned and tried-unsuccessfully-to bury his head into the pillow to muffle out the sound of the voice. His body nestled deep, deeper, under the furs of his bed and lay very still, as though, if he were just still enough, she'd let him sleep in. It worked for all of three seconds. Then someone ripped open the flap of his igloo. Aaaaargh! Shards of light stabbed into his bright blue eyes, blinding him. Blearily, his mind reached out and bent the shadows around him-yes, the shadows!-enclosing himself in a coccoon of darkness. Sweet, blessed darkness. Ah. Now he could rest. If she'd just leave him be-

"Aha! Found you! Now...wake up!"

Then someone jumped on him.

"Ooof!"

Being an astral bender -damnded White Lotus, dubbing him as such!- certainly had its perks, but this was not one of them. He couldn't bend the elements in a conventional sense like most-rather, he bent other things, things one might not expect. Shadows were but one of them; good for muffling nose and keeping the light out of his eyes...not so much for dealing with the impact of a seventeen year old girl jumping up and down on his chest.

With a groan and a wheeze he felt the air exploded out of his lungs. he lost control of the element and collapsed against the bed, strong arms pinning him down. Bright blue eyes stared back at him from a heartshaped face, framed by chestnut hair, her mouth set in a cocky, cheery little grin-one that reminded him of their early days in the compound. She'd grown up. So had he. He didn't want to smile he told himself, his mouth just happened to be moving in that direction when he saw her.

"Korra...get off."

"Nope." impossibly, her grin gew. "Not gonna happen."

Naruto growled half-heartedly at her, a stray spark skittering between his teeth. It was well within his power to simply become the energy-the lightning-and give her a good jolt for her troubles. It wasn't lightning in the sense of Firebending; not when he could physically become the element, radiate it from his skin with a simple thought. A strong enough jolt could paralyze someone, cause muscles to clamp down, atrophy, even. But he wouldn't do that to Korra. Couldn't. After all, she was his best friend.

"Is there a reason you woke me up so early? Mornings are evil." he sighed at last, hoping the traitorous beat of his heart wouldn't betray him. A master bender she might be but Korra could be very...oblivious to certain things. Certainly not the concept that he was still in bed, however.

"My firebending test is today." she said it was though this explained everything, as though the purpose of her crimson firebending gear was patently obvious. "You promised you'd watch." her fingers absently traced the line of his scar, lost in thought. It looked better now, she thought, given all this time and the Spirit Water to mend. But, it was still there, present on the lower line of his jaw, etched into his neck. Looking at it reminded her of that unhappy day, the day she realized she needed to master her temper, lest it master her.

...I did?" his jaw opened in a bone-cracking yawn. He'd meant it in jest, but her eyes flashed. Uh-oh.

"Yes, you did!"

Then the watebender gave him a shake that sent his head spinning. Gah! So strong!

"Korra...you're making...me...dizzy!"

"Good!"

Naruto groaned, aquescing to her demands at last. "Alright, alright, let me up...you've kind got me pinned here." A pause. "Not that I mind." _Shit! _he mentally backhanded himself._ Why did I say that?!_

Korra colored and clamored off of him. "J-Just don't be late, alright?" Oh. Naruto blinked, watching her retreating form bustle out of his room in a streak of motion. Ohhhh...

Not so oblivious after all, then.

Tossing himself out of bed, he threw on a warm pair of furs, wrapped himself in a cloak, and hastened after her. Blinding light lanced into his eyes as he stepped outside, skittering off the snow and ice. Irritated, he took a bit of shadow and pulled it across his eyes, reducing the glare. Korra was already bounding ahead of him, little more than a red-and-bue point in the distance ahead of him. He loped after her quietly, taking a moment to survey the compound. As always, it amazed him how...unchanged the place was.

He'd spent the last seventeen years of his life here, yet the unyielding walls of ice still stood. His blood itched at the thought. He wanted to leave this walls behind! Go out and see the world, not spend the rest of his life as a bird trapped in a cage! Gilded or not, it didn't change the fact that there were still bars, guards, and all manner of things designed to keep him and Korra _in_, rather than let them out. Perhaps that would change, he mused, once Korra mastered airbending? Who knew?

As ever, some of the White Lotus gave him dirty looks. He wasn't a _real _bender in their eyes, just some castaway with strange skills. It was Katara's will that kept him here, they constantly reminded him, and if he tried to escape, if he stepped one foot out of line...bah! They just disliked the pranks he so delighted in playing upon them.

Naruto laughed at the thought and kept walking.

...well, people tended to be surprised when you grabbed their shadows and gave them a good hard yank. Moreso when you _hid_ inside their own shadow and whispered in their ear! Ahh, Tenzin's face had been priceless, not something he'd soon forget!

After all, the shadow was part of a person's spirit. Pull them, and you pulled the person to whom they were attached. That was the most he was willing to risk. Molding the shadows was a tricky bit of business-especially when he reached too deep. Shadows could become anything. They weren't inherently evil, but it was a dangerously grey area-like bloodbending-that depended on the bender itself. When he latched onto a shadow, that shadow became an extension of himself. He could make it, and whomever it was bound to, do all sorts of interesting things.

Tugging, pulling, twisting, but not too much, because you could break someone that way.

There was even a theory that, given time, he could learn to bend _time _itself. Naruto was determined to try, if only to spite them.

They didn't understand that he did not always bend the elements; for things like dust and wood you had to reach deeper than that, pluck at the very molecules themselves. If they were resistant you'd get nowhere with it; but if they proved pliable enough you could use them, mold them, or in his case, become them_...ah, but here he was._

He saw familiar faces as he climbed the stairs to the stands to the arena, lined now with age, but friends and family nonetheless. Katara graced him with a nod, smiing genially at the young man. Naruto returned with a bow of his own, and turned his eyes to the match. It must've already begun; because Korra was already moving, dancing amidst her firebending instructors with almost contemptuous ease. Three against one? That was blatantly unfair. For her. She was already picking them apart.

With a blinding _WHOOSH_ of flame, Korra swept her leg and sent the last man sprawling.

"Hey, why all the gloom and doom, people!" She called, tugging off her helmet, grinning. "We should be celebrating! Three elements down, one to go!" Her blue eyes danced over to Naruto and her smile brightened like the sun itself. Unbidden, he felt a hot flush creep up the back of his neck.

"You're getting ahead of yourself as usual, Korra." one of the White Lotus sighed, "We haven't even decided if you'd passed your firebending test yet."

Naruto resolutely tuned out the ensuing arguement between her and the White Lotus. It wasn't until Katara vouched for her that he finally paid attention once more, and why was Korra coming up here and oh, he didn't like that look in her eye, it was far too familiar...

"C'mon!"

Whatever thoughts he might've entertained vanished as Korra took hold of his hand and shot forward, dragging him down off the stands in her wake. Soon enough she was running, forcing him into a hearty sprint just to keep up. It came as no surprise when she led him down to Naga's kennel, and, after an enthusiastic greeting by said polar bear dog, she threw a saddle on her back. It was only when she strapped it down and tried to pull him up after her that Naruto found the strength to protest. Reluctantly-very much so!-he tugged his hand from hers.

"Korra...what're you doing?"

"What?" she blinked. "I'm taking Naga out. You're coming, right?"

"You never let me ride Naga." he pointed out. And it was true. Korra was very possessive of her, refusing to let anyone ride her favorite mount. That she was trying to get him to ride behind her was...odd, to say the least of her.

The faintest pink flush dusted her cheeks as his words hit home. "Yeah, well...today's an exception."

"Shouldn't you change out of that?"

"Out of what?"

Naruto gestured lamely to her firebending outfit, all but forgotten in her haste. "I doubt that'll keep you very warm, firebending or not."

"Right, right," in a blur she dismounted, much to Naga's displeased whine. Her blue eyes sought out a small bag tossed haphazardly in the corner, just outside the door. "I'm pretty sure I left a change of clothes around here somewhere. Ah! Here they are." And then, to his disbelief, she started to undress. At first, he thought his eyes were playing some sort of devious tricks on him; Korra was just unbuckling the guards, peeling off the light, fire-retardent red suit, then the armor beneath it, leaving her clad in her usual leathers once more. Naruto could feel the blood rushing to his face. She cut a fierce figure, all curves and smooth lines, with just a hit of visible muscle,

"Gah, I stink." she muttered, sniffing. "Better change these, too-

He wanted to kick himself for it, but he couldn't just stand there, even when she started to pull up her shirt. For a moment, just one sweet, glorious moment, he had a view of that dark, ebon skin, the slender curve of her waist the smooth line of her back-

"KORRA!"

The poor girl started as if she'd been struck by lightning, but to his dismay, she didn't pull her shirt back down. Instead it hung there, offering a tantalizing glimpse of her stoned stomach. "What? You've seen me naked before."

"When we were kids!" Dear sweet kami, his nose was bleeding! "And that was in the _bath!"_

He saw the wires cross in her head, the realization. The slow flushing of her face was possible the most adorable thing he'd ever seen.

"Then close your eyes, idiot!"

Reluctantly he did.

He didn't peek either...

...alright, maybe a _little._

* * *

"Just taking Naga out for a stroll!"

"Don't worry, we won't go far." Naruto seconded.

The guard reluctantly turned to open the gates. No sooner had he done so than Korra ushered Naga into a run. She wasn't expecting Naruto to suddenly release her waist and swing forward. Before she could stop him, he hit the ground running, his strong stride easily matching the loping bound of her steed. Teeth flashed a shining white in the light of the setting sun, a cheerful grin that just oozed challenge. Korra laughed and gave Naga full reign in response and she lurched forward with a happy yelp, delighted by the prospect of the race.

"Naga, go!" she cried. "Thatta girl! Go, go, go!"

Naga was all too happy to comply.

Naruto was Korra's mate after all, even if her mistress didn't yet know it. Tongue lolling in the wind, she easily overtook the swift human-that is, until Naruto shot forward with an unexpected burst of speed, his stride eating up the distance between them. Above, Naga heard Korra laugh, and she howled in response, a great baying cry that echoed across the drifts.

Naruto was laughing too, delighted by the prospect of running full tilt with his otherwordly strength and speed. No walls to slow him down! Nothing to cage him in!

It was...

...nice.

* * *

But it didn't last. It never did.

Korra was determined to go Republic City. Tenzin's visit-which Naruto had found wonderfully amusing-had stoked a fire in her. His refusal to teach her, to train her, until the situation there was stabilized did not sit well with her, nor did it him. Having known her for so long, it was easy to guess what she'd do next. Korra, above all, hated being told what to do. She'd been looking forward to her airbending training for months now, and, to have that snatched away from her...it made perfect sense that she'd disobey the White Lotus.

Sure enough, he found her later that night, saddling up Naga. Having hidden in the shadows for the last hour, Naruto wasn't surprised in the least. When he emerged, however, that was when he was truly surprised.

"So, you're going to the city."

She jerked around, trying to hide the saddle behind her back. To her credit, she didn't try to lie.

"Please don't tell anyone."

"Don't worry, I won't. Might I ask why, though?"

She turned away. "Look, I...I need to find my own way. I can't just stay here," her hand gestured angrily, "Cooped up for the rest of my life! Its driving me crazy!"

"That bad, huh?"

"YES!"

A moment of consternation, and then Uzumaki Naruto burst out laughing: rich, musical laughter. He flung his head back, unable to stop. Korra had clapped her hand over her mouth, and then she too began laughing helplessly. It was awful; it was embarrassing; it was likely to cause all sorts of messy complications in the future. Naruto didn't care.

"Well, be sure to send me a postcard.

"Please come with me!" She blurted out, grabbing his hands in a strong grip before he could turn away. "I don't want to go without you." _Urk. Pluck at my heartstrings why dont'cha?!_

"Korra, I...

Her expression turned piteous.

"Oh please, oh please, oh _please...?" _Then, when he waffled, she pushed harder. "You might be able to find out if there are others like you in the city! I mean, its worth a look, right? Tenzin said they have a huge library there, and...everything...

His expression stalled her out.

...you...you're not coming, are you?"

Naruto hesitated, considering. He _did _want out of the compound...but looking at her now, he realized that he wanted out _with _Korra at his side. It just...wouldn't be the same without her.

Of course, it hadn't taken Naruto long to discover the ways in which Korra was beautiful. That devilish, knowing smirk, the way her eyes twinkled when she was planning mischief. The infectious laugh, the one that lit up her whole face and shook her body with mirth. The sheer _physicality_ of her, her complete and total comfort with her own body and her willingness to use it during combat; her assurance in her own strength, despite the countless times she'd been chastised for it, something that only made her stronger.

That voice, of course, smoke roiling through grass, that swore such dreadful, toe-curling things whenever she was absolutely livid, or when he tried to work or think or teach or do anything, really, that did not involve Korra and some sort of chaos, preferably her own. Those hands, slightly smaller than his own, with their smooth knuckles and nails, fingers strong, and calloused but as capable of being gentle as they were of leaving bruises.

And she had absolutely no idea what she did to him.

"So are you coming or not?" she

"I'm your man, Korra." he sighed at last. "Wherever you go, I'll go."

There was a silence.

Then delighted squeak forced itself between her lips; and he found himself trapped in a bonecrushing hug.

"YES!"

"Korra! Can't breathe!"

"Oh, right! Sorry!" then she realized their close proximity and colored all over again. "We should ah...get going, right?"

Naruto sputtered. "Yeah."

"Sure."

"Great."

"Lets do that."

They turned away to make their preparations, trying to hide their faces for what they thought were entirely different reasons. Remarkably, they shared one thought:

_'Well, that wasn't awkward at all..._

**A/N: And so there you have it! NarutoxKorra, growing up together in the Avatar-verse! Initially, I had thought to go with the whole NARUKO idea, but hey, I already have a fem!Naruto and Avatar story in the works. Avatar: A Legacy Untold! After all, I've tried so many different offshoots off the Avatar genre as a whole that I finallythought to myself, you know what? I should get back to basics. And so here we are, at the start of it alll...and hilarity shall ensue! Naruto will have his chakra still, but as to being a bender...well, his situation will be...unique. Wonder what I mean? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned to find out!**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! It'll make you smile!**

**(Preview!)**

_Naruto cocked his head aside, baffled by the metalbender's proclamation. A hand rose lazily, scratching at the bac of his head. When he finally spoke, the blond sounded just as stupefied as she felt. A finger pointed at the indignant officer standing before them, hands planted firmly on his hips. He sounded quite befuddled, Naruto did:_

_"Is he arresting us?"_

_Korra nodded her assent. "Yeah, I think he's arresting us."_

_"He can't arrest us."_

_"Right."_

_"We're not the bad guys."_

_"Right."_

_"Well then," he folded his arms, looking quite serious about the whole affair. "There's only one thing to do."_

_She nodded her assent, they exchanged a shared glance, a thought, and grinned. _

_"RUN!"_

_Then they bolted._

_**R&amp;R! =D**_


	3. The Walls We Build

**A/N: MISS ME GUYS?!**** I'm woking almost daily and I feel like crap, as to that effect. But nevertheless, despite this pesky little hiccup-I wanted to get word out any way I could, and since for some strange reason the site is being buggy, I wasn't able to work on this anywhere near as much as I would've liked. Still...so many reviews!**

**I love you guys so much! *Cries***

**Now, this chapter might be a bit confusing consider I haven't done something like this in awhile. With good reason! My job has been beating the living hell out of my as of late! This was REALLY had to write with being tired from work; exhausting, actually. But I'm proud of it, and I hope you enjoy it as I finally get some rest.**

**This story was birthed from the idea that I've been rewatching the Legend of Korra like crazy as of late. And this idea just sort of...happend, really. I hope ya enjoy it! I've done something that the series hasn't expanded upon to my knowledge; in this, the second chapter, we'll be seeing various scenes from Korra and Naruto's time in the South when they were little. The timeline is a wee bit wonly there, naturally. Of course, the story will be moving ever onward-but I ask you, what's the point in reading about romance if we don't know where it begins? Also, warning! There's a wee bit of violence in this chapter, but save that, there's plenty of humor and a TON of fluff...**

**Well...here ya go! =D Sorry if its short! But hey, at least I'm back! And now, I present to you, the next chapter of...**

**...**Left my Heart in the Water! Also! I have a new computer now-a chromebook actually-so I apologize for any spelling errors as I get accustomed to this new system...sorry if its short! But imma back and updating again once more!****

_"Key? I don't need no godamn KEY!"_

_~? (The words of a very, very angry blond.)_

**The Walls We Build**

_Korra dashed forward, her dirty face alight, and Naruto swept her up in his arms, kissing her in front of everyone, not giving a equalist's arse who was looking and commenting. She tasted of sweat and blood and the individual sweetness that was Korra. Their wounds ached and his broken arm creaked treacherously in its sling, but, he could not let her go. The dogs bounded and yipped. Naga stood up on her hind legs and put her paws on both their shoulders, licking Korra's filthy, rosy cheek. She laughed, thumbing a red mark at his cheek nervously._

_"You look awful."_

_He grinned. _

_"Not my blood. Hey, I told you I'd kill h-_

Blue eyes fluttered open with a start.

_'What-oh, bugger. Not another one of those.'_ Naruto frowned, shaking off the last remnants of the dream-vision?-from his mind, blinking blearily as sense came back to him amidst an odd heaviness planted firmly upon his chest. The gentle rocking of the ship threatened to send him back to sleep altogether, but the soul-searing dream kiss proved more than enough to rouse him. Yet another one. They'd been occurring with increasing frequency as of late, snippets of events not yet come unto past flashing through his mind when he slept. But this one had been unusual. In this one he'd k...k...k...

"Naruto...

"Gah!" The blond shot ramrod straight, suddenly keenly aware of just what-who!-laid sprawled helterskelter against his chest alongst the rest of him. Korra. Crapbaskets. His head rose in slow increments; painfully aware of just how agonizingly _warm _she was; of her breasts, mashing up against him as she lay there, spooned against him, a tiny bit of drool dribbling from her mouth and onto his neck-

Naruto unceremoniously poked her in the cheek before those thoughts pushed him past the point of no return. Korra reluctantly stirred upright, blinking blearily.

"Oi, wake up."

_"Muwah...?"_ Another blink, those hazy blue eyes slowly focusing on him as he took his finger from her cheek. "Oh, its just Naruto." A sly, sleepy smile wreathed her cheeks as she took hold of his hand, nuzzling against the palm with surprising tenderness, bold, even for her. He soon discovered why. "Must be still dreaming. Yay me." as he looked on, helpless, that grin went from sly to seductive. Uh-oh. "C'mere, you..." Before he could protest, she took his face between her hands, and still not quite awake, leaned forwards, pushing him down to the floor.

Naruto felt a slow flush crawl up the back of his neck as her hips unconciously ground against his, a warm lava glow worming its way into his cheeks. Korra thought she was still asleep. And she did very, _very_ strange things when she was asleep...

"Ah...Korra?" he sputtered, trying to draw back for the caramel-skinned bender, "This isn't a dream!"

"Shhh..." her breath warmed his face, their lips brushing, tantalizingly close. "Let me enjoy this a little longer before I wake up."

Then she plugged his mouth with hers.

_Oh!_

_My!_

_God!_

Naruto felt his mind explode with a thousand thunderstorms; lightning lighting up his brain even as he instinctually tried to shift into the shadows and escape. Something held him back. Time slowed to a crawl around him, his arms twitching, longing to reach up and draw her deeper into the kiss. _You deserve it, _his self argued, longing with lust. _She's always teasing you, tormenting you...just act on it!_

Every fiber of his being longed to simply give in and enjoy the moment, savor this unexpected opportunity. But...he couldn't. To do so, would be taking advantage of Korra; his friend, his lifeline, his everything. Korra, who had always stood with him through thick and thin, Korra, who even now hadn't truly forgiven herself for scarring him, for burning him. And in a way, neither had he. True, he'd overcome the trauma that came with being burned, but there was a wall there, where his feeling should have been.

The knowledge that Korra could-would-hurt him, even unintentionally, erected a barrier, a wall, around his heart. To take that risk... He just...could not. Not now.

Perhaps not ever.

Cursing himself, he raised a hand. His palm reared up and struck down, bopping his fellow bender on the head, knocking her off him. Korra jerked back, dazed, comprehension-wakefulness-dawning on her once more. With a mighty shake that would've put Naga to shame, she came back to herself.

"Wha? Who?"

"Up at at 'em sleepyhead." he said, driving the flush from his face with a ruthless sigh. "We're almost there." Korra shot him a speculative look at that, but if she had questions as to why she'd ended up halfway across the hold

"Sooo...what did my dad talk to you about?" she yawned, stretching.

_"Break her heart and I'll break you."_

Naruto made a small squelching sound.

"That depends," he replied dodgily, evading the question. "What did your mom say to you?"

_"Be gentle with him, sweetie."_

Now it was Korra's turn to flush.

"Oh, nothing, just telling me to be safe."

Cooped up as they were on the ship, there was really little else for them to do. They'd already bid their fond farewells; first to Katara, then Senna and Tonraq. Both the former and latter had strong words for them, not the ones they'd been expecting. Strong, positive words that left them feeling stronger than before, determined to set out into the world and see what it had to offer for them. Naruto knew not what awaited them, and neither did she, but Korra felt safe here, safe, warm, and confident by her best friend's side. Safe and...what was that in his hand...?

"What the...since when can you bend metal?!"

"Molecules,"he muttered crossly, molding the tiny bead of iron deeper into his hand. "I can't bend everything." his eyes were uncharacteristically harsh, fully focused on warping the tiny seed of metal in his hand. "And I'm still not very good at it. Must have something to do with it being part earth."

"Is that why you're still struggling with the basic elements?" Korra giggled.

Naruto snorted.

"You wound me!"

"Hey, you know I didn't mean it like that-

Ah, but he wasn't finished!

"I seem to recall someone saying something along the lines of; I'm the Avatar, you gotta deal with it!" Naruto shot back, thinking this over. "And if I recall, you are a little headstrong..." He noticed that Korra's face had taken on the aspect of a very large iceberg about to sink him into unplumbed depths and backpedalled, not for his sake, but because he'd no intention of hurting her feelings, fragile as they were. "Sorry. What difference does it make, anyway?"

"Nope, nothing".

"Urk."

The silence lasted another beat before Korra broke it. "So...do you think we'll find anyone like you in Republic City?"

"That's a good guess," Naruto agreed, dancing with his best friend on the creaky tree limb of fantasy. "I can't be the only one...like this." As if to emphasize his point he reached out and plucked at a nearby shadow, up in the rafters, causing it to arch and writhe into the shape he desired. When he finished, a hawk, likely another stowaway and startled by his bending display, fluttered down to him with a harsh caw. The blond beamed at her, satisifed by the bird's attention, stroking its scarlet feathers. "See? _He_ thinks so."

"Naruto," Korra deadpanned. "That's a bird. You're talking to a bird."

"Hey, you've got Naga! Why can't I have a pet?"

"So, I take it you have a plan in mind?"

Korra grinned.

"Maaaaaaaaaybe...

* * *

Apparently that plan involved running pell-mell around the city and getting thrown in jail!

"You're under arrest, too! The both of you!"

Naruto cocked his head aside, baffled by the metalbender's proclamation. A hand rose lazily, scratching at the bac of his head. When he finally spoke, the blond sounded just as stupefied as she felt. A finger pointed at the indignant officer standing before them, hands planted firmly on his hips. He sounded quite befuddled, Naruto did:

"Is he arresting us?" he turned to regard the bird on his shoulder. "I think he is, Hawkie."

Korra nodded her assent. "Yeah, I think he's arresting us."

"He can't arrest us."

"Right."

"We're not the bad guys."

"Right."

"The bad guys are over there," he pointed, indicated the trussed up trio for emphasis.

"That they are."

Something on the boy's expression changed. Some shadow perhaps, or maybe the set of his shoulders. But suddenly, Naruto's smile looked...malicious.

"Well then," he folded his arms, looking quite serious about the whole affair. "There's only one thing to do."

She nodded her assent, they exchanged a shared glance, a thought, and grinned.

"RUN!" Then they bolted.

The metalbenders never stood a chance...

_...and they never caught them, either!_

**A/N: And so there you have it! NarutoxKorra, growing up together in the Avatar-verse! Initially, I had thought to go with the whole NARUKO idea, but hey, I already have a fem!Naruto and Avatar story in the works. Avatar: A Legacy Untold! After all, I've tried so many different offshoots off the Avatar genre as a whole that I finallythought to myself, you know what? I should get back to basics. And so here we are, at the start of it alll...and hilarity shall ensue! Naruto will have his chakra still, but as to being a bender...well, his situation will be...unique. Wonder what I mean? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned to find out!**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! It'll make you smile! Thought Korra wouldn't have competition? WRONG! A new challenger appears!**

**(Preview!)**

_"Who're you?"_

_"Name's Naomi." _

_Naruto blinked at her, eyeing this bender who was like him, and yet was not._

_This girl, this stranger, this CRIMINAL, her deep, soulful green eyes staring back at him beneath a curtain of deep, blood red tresses, her leggings in tatters from their scuffle, her violet jacket dirty and soiled from rolling in the street. She seemed to appraise him for a long moment, as though trying to decide if he was worth her time, worth continuing the fight, or not. She must have decided he was, because she flicked a finger at him, her gloved digits summoning a shadow and hurling a card into his waiting hand._

_He caught it deftly, turning the small white rectangle over in his hand. Etched into it was a simply symbol._

_"You're pretty good," she drawled, causing him to look up, "You ever think of joining the Agni Kais'?"_

_"A gang? No thanks."_

_"C'mon, you've got some serious skill! Think of the money you could make! Or," Naomi laughed, grabbing his hand. "Would you rather follow that Avatar girl around like some lovesick puppy? She doesn't even look at you for crying out loud! Stop being so responsible and have some fun for once in your life, mister goody-two-shoes! Join the dark side!"_

_"Seriously?"_

_"Well, of course." that got him a cheeky grin from the girl, reminding him that, for all her bluster, she was nearly his own age. "We have cookies."_

_He couldn't help but smile. "Cookies? Is that your opening offer?"_

_"Maybe. Of course, you'd have the privilege of hanging out with the fabulous me."_

_"Oh, I feel so honored." the deadpann was barely concealed._

_"Hey! I AM fabulous." Her green eyes gleamed with ambition and purpose. "I've got plans for this city. Big plans! You should be happy to know me."_

_R&amp;R! =D_


	4. Flawed Attraction

**A/N: MISS ME GUYS?!**** I'm woking almost daily and I feel like crap, as to that effect. But nevertheless, despite this pesky little hiccup-I wanted to get word out any way I could, and since for some strange reason the site is being buggy, I wasn't able to work on this anywhere near as much as I would've liked. Still...so many reviews!**

**I love you guys so much! *Cries***

**Now, this chapter might be a bit confusing consider I haven't done something like this in awhile. With good reason! My job has been beating the living hell out of my as of late! This was REALLY had to write with being tired from work; exhausting, actually. But I'm proud of it, and I hope you enjoy it as I finally get some rest.**

**This story was birthed from the idea that I've been rewatching the Legend of Korra like crazy as of late. And this idea just sort of...happend, really. I hope ya enjoy it! I've done something that the series hasn't expanded upon to my knowledge; in this, the second chapter, we'll be seeing various scenes from Korra and Naruto's time in the South when they were little. The timeline is a wee bit wonly there, naturally. Of course, the story will be moving ever onward-but I ask you, what's the point in reading about romance if we don't know where it begins? Also, warning! There's a wee bit of violence in this chapter, but save that, there's plenty of humor and a TON of fluff...**

**Well...here ya go! =D Sorry if its short! But hey, at least I'm back! And now, I present to you, the next chapter of...**

**...**Left my Heart in the Water! Also! I have a new computer now-a chromebook actually-so I apologize for any spelling errors as I get accustomed to this new system...sorry if its short! But imma back and updating again once more! And to those who expected Naruto to prank...here ya go! To those who thought I skipped ahead, you made a fair point. I decided to go back and cover two of several very important difference in this story, compared to canon.****

****I also realized, holy crap, that I never covered Naruto's shift from sullen on the ship, then back to his happy-go-lucky self. Time to rectify that!****

****Hope ye like it!****

_"Why're they so angry? It was just a little prank..."_

_"You painted the police headquarters orange, Naruto. Orange!_

_"What?! Orange is the color of the gods, dattebayo!"_

_~an amusing conversation between Naruto and Tenzin.)_

**Attraction**

"YOU DID WHAT?! _**W****_ITH_ WHO?!"**_

Naruto physically convulsed as he fought off the urge to laugh, his hands forming a small tent over his mouth to hold the laughter in. Beside him Korra looked a bit more chastened, then again, it was she who was facing down an angry Tenzin and explaining that they'd kinda-maybe-sorta destroyed half a city block, decimated a squad of Metal-benders cops and were now essentially wanted criminals, having led the entire police force on a merry chase across the city.

"Naruto!"

"I can't...help it...!" he choked out between laughs, "Should've seen their faces...ha! Priceless..."

Said chase came to a rather anti-climatic end when Naruto liberally electrocuted the lost of them-creating a massive magnet from which the rest of the force was still struggling to extricate itself. That would've been bad enough, but then the blond proceeded to paint them orange...among other things.

Did she mention the glue? And the feathers?

The entire fiasco resulted in several angry phone calls to the master Airbender in question by Chief Bei Fong. Apparently she didn't like feathers. Korra did. She was simply better at keeping a straight face; but she found it all secretly funny, especially the last part. After all, what better way to tell the police they were inadequate than to doodle "Dattebayo" all over their headquarters? It still made her giggle, a little. After all, they'd made a clean escape to Airtemple Island without being apprehended, so surely that counted for something..?

"Korra!"

Oh. Right. Being scolded.

"Well, at least we stopped the criminals." she pointed out.

"Heh!"

One look back at her best friend confirmed that he wasn't going to be backing her up anytime soon, not while he was rolling on the floor like that at least. From its perch on a nearby counter, Hawkie watched as his new master struggled to control himself and failed spectacularly. Naga contented herself to watch the whole debacle from her corner, head resting on her paws.

"Are you two quite done?" Tenzin asked. "I'm trying to scold you here!"

Naruto cackled.

"That's what makes it funny!"

The silence was telling.

"Alright," he sighed, wiping a mirthful tear from his eyes, "Alright...I'm done." A deep breath followed. "Yup. All good here."

"Good." The monk exhaled visibly. "Now, as I was saying-

"HA!"

Naruto exploded into laughter all over again. Tenzin sputtered, but this time, the outburst was short-lived.

"Sheesh, don't get your robes in a twist. Just tell them we were...ah! Testing them." Naruto offered, smoothing his pets-and Tenzin's-ruffled feathers with a nonchalant wave of the hands. "They should buy that, right? I mean, Chief Tight-ass does that all the time, doesn't she? You said so yourself."

Korra nearly fell over!

Tenzin purpled for a moment. Then realization dawned.

"That...could work." he muttered, stroking his beard. "You are aware that _you're _the one she wants to lock up, aren't you?"

"What can I say? I've gotta use my brain_ sometimes." _the whiskered warrior smiled. "And if she wants to lock me up, remind her what happened last time someone tried to take me against my will." Those blue eyes did a little flash, scarlet swimming in that sea of sapphire.

_Half a city block, gone..._

Tenzin turned most pale indeed at the memory. "I think we'd all like to avoid that."

Korra stared at them for a long, long moment before the proverbial light-bulb clicked on over her head.

"Las-_YOU'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE?!"_

Naruto barked a laugh. "What? You know I don't like being cooped up. How else would I have gotten you that radio you wanted?" The avatar made a small squelching sound at the memory; the tiny device she'd used to listen to pro-bending matches ever since her tenth birthday. Naruto had...

"Regardless, it doesn't matter." Tenzin huffed, "The two of you shouldn't even be here, let alone on the island!

"C'mon Tenzin," Korra pleaded, "Please don't send us back home! Not after we came all the way here!"

"You blatantly disobeyed my wishes and the orders of the White Lotus."

"Katara agreed that we should come!" she gestured hurriedly, cutting him off. "She said our destiny is _in _Republic City!"

Tenzin's face went red. "Don't bring my mother into this!"

"Look, I can't wait any longer to start my training. Being cooped up and hidden away from the world isn't helping me become a better Avatar." Her blue eyes cut southward towards her companion, "And it definitely isn't helping Naruto! You know how he gets when he's cooped up for too long!"

_"Oi."_

No response.

"Look, we saw a lot of the city today, and its totally out of whack. We understand now why you need to stay here.

"We do?" Naruto piped up, groaning. "Because from what I've seen, this city can just go to-

"Shush, you! Look, Tenzin, Republic city does need you." she touched a hand to her chest, fingers But it needs me, too."

"Yes, well, so nice to feel needed." A lifetime ago-in another world-in a life without him, Korra might've missed the way her friend's eyes gleamed, might have failed to notice a sudden spark of anger kindling in his eyes like wildfire. Not this time. This time she decided to do something about it.

Korra seen that look only once before, here in the city, and she never wanted to see it again...

* * *

_(Hours earlier...)_

_Thus far, Korra wasn't terribly fond of Republic City._

_In the span of only a few hours she had seen poverty and strife, possessed no money, and if it weren't for Naruto's silver tongue, wouldn't have any food at all. She was still amazed that he'd been able to charm that old woman out of so much food without paying a single yuon in return._

_So yes, she had a full belly, and a nice dip in the river had washed the stink from clothes quickly dried by the sun, but beyond that?  
_

_Nothing._

_Zip._

_Zilch._

_Nadda._

_No, to her infinite dismay, the young avatar found she was beginning to feel rather homesick. She missed her mother, her father, she missed Katara's cooking...and she missed Naruto. He was right there behind her, his hands lightly gripping her waist as Naga padded onwards, but he may as well have been miles away for all the attention he was paying her. Hell, he was giving the damned bird more attention!_

_"So...nice weather we're having, huh?" she tried again. Nothing. "Well, ah, the park is nice, I guess?"_

_No response._

_Any attempt on Korra's part to make small talk had been -and still was being- ruthlessly shot out of the sky. A-And...it hurt to be honest. She'd grown up with him as an integral part of her life; having that crutch ripped away after seventeen years, well, it certainly didn't feel good. He was her pillar, the one person she could always talk too, always rely on when times got tough. She _was_ tough, she knew that, but, with this rift between them it made her feel horrible and she wanted fix it but spirits, she didn't know what to do and it made her so sad and nononononoiamnotgoingtocryisweartogodheisnotgoingtomakemecry..._

_"Okay, okay, stop stop stop. You're bleeding negative emotions like a cracked sieve. You're not crying, are ya?" A pause. "Holy crap!"_

_So focused was she on those thoughts, that she nearly jumped clear out of her skin when he grabbed her from behind. The embrace literally came from out of nowhere; one moment he'd been silently sulking, the next he lurched forward in the saddle to give her the greatest big bear hug._

_Korra was fairly certain her heart stopped._

_"Sorry for ignoring ya." his chin nestled in the crook of her shoulder for a heartbeat before pulling away. "I've just been thinking...this city isn't what I expected it to be."_

_Then he touched her hand. Korra gulped._

_"And the park is beautiful in its own way." he reminded her, his breath ghosting at the back of her neck. "Just like you."_

_Oh! My! God!_

_An atomic, sputtering blush shot from the Avatar's toes, straight to her head._

_"Korra?"_

_She blinked, and it was gone._

_Great. Just great. Now she was having daydreams! Hallucinations!_

_She watched him for a moment as he took his hand away, trying not to let her eyes linger. He'd been acting strange around her ever since they'd disembarked. And she'd had the strangest dream. Another of her vivid, secret fantasies, one she'd kept close to her breast for the last five years. Her dreams. Those very real moments between waking and sleeping, those few precious minutes-hours-when she could delight in that feeling without fearing rejection, she loved them dearly. _

_But the Naruto in her dreams was suddenly acting a great deal like the Naruto she knew, and...something felt off about it._

_Did he know?_

_Korra felt her heart lurch._

_"Naruto, I-_

_The shriek of a something electronic cut her off._

_"Are you tired of living under the tyranny of the Benders?!" a protester loudly and publicly advocated to others from atop a nearby platform, his reedy voice crackling harshly into a loudspeaker. "Then join Amon! Join the equalists! For too long, the bending elite of this city have forced non-benders to live as lower class citizens." his voice grew louder at their approach, a clenched fist raised high to address the masses. "Join Amon, and together, we can tear down the bending establishment!"_

_"Lovely." Naruto hummed behind her. "Only a few hours in and we're already dealing with something like this. Why am I not surprised...? You never take me anywhere nice."_

_"What are you taking about?" Korra snapped, at the protester, not him. "Bending is the coolest thing in the world!"_

_"Oh yeah? Let me guess." he sneered. "You're a bender."_

_She huffed at that, indignant._

_"Yeah, I am." _

_"Then I'd bet you'd just love to knock me off this platform with some waterbending, huh?"_

_Unconsciously, her arms folded beneath her bosom._

_"I'm seriously thinking about it, yeah..._

_She was so focused on the annoying little man that she never noticed Naruto sliding off of Naga's back. She didn't see him until it was too late._

_"DYNAMIC! ENTRY!"_

_In a single bound the blond cleared the platform in a flying drop kick and smoothly inserted his foot into the protester's face before he could continue. The man folded like a wet paper bag, dropping off the platform with a whining wheeze._

_ Now there was silence, all eyes falling on the quiet young man alighting there in his place. The blond dropped after his victim, viciously stomping on his windpipe. Gasps followed._

_"Look." He cocked his head toward the man's prone form, boot still sticking in his throat. "You don't need to be a bender to oppress people. I'm not one, and this? I did that in less than a second. See? Easy." he wiggled his fingers, and nothing happened, the lie coming to him smooth as water she wielded. "You lot make me sick."_

_"Tha-That doesn't change the fact that benders still oppress us!"_

_The boy scoffed._

_"Cling to your fears if you wish. But ask yourself this; don't ordinary people have as much darkness in them as benders do? Aren't we people? Aren't we the same? So what if some can bend and some can't? In the end its the person, not the bender, who decides what to do with what little influence they have. A police officer can be just as corrupt as say, a member of the Agni Kai triad."_

_Beneath his heel, the protester stirred._

_"B-But that's..._

_Naruto snarled and stomped down. Bone cracked._

_"Did I say you could talk?"_

_A squeak followed._

_"Did I say you could breathe?"_

_"Alright, nothing to see her people, move along!" __Korra felt the situation slipping out of her grasp, the crowd scattering at her shout, everything spiraling more and more out of control as Naruto continued his assault; an already bloodied boot ruthlessly kicking the ever-living crap out of the poor sod._

_"What right do people like you have, huh?!" Kick. "You stir the pot, you stoke the flame, and for what?! Kick. "All you want is the attention!" Kick. "Praise." Kick! "I oughta put you down right here and now, dattebayo!" The scar on his face seemed to pulse with the throbbing vein in his forehead, living and moving as though it were alive. Those blue eyes, normally so happy and caring, danced with unholy fury, seeming almost red in the afternoon light-_

_"Naruto, that's enough!"_

_Sure enough, her voice plucked him from the rage._

_"Get out of my sight." he snarled at the quivering body beneath him. "Before I kill you."_

_A final kick sent the poor protester sailing into the river._

_(End Flashback)_

* * *

Her hand grabbed his in an iron vice, refusing to let go.

Now it was Naruto's turn to sputter. "What in the-?!"

Korra stuck out her tongue, defiant to the end.

This time, the moment-the second!-she saw that dark spark in Naruto's eyes she marched right over to him and did something very, very foolish. Very foolish indeed. In hindsight, it seemed like a smart idea at the time to her, using the only available tool she knew would calm him down.

_Herself._

"It needs _us."_ She reaffirmed, returning her gaze to Tenzin. Just like that, the anger drained right out of him. Naruto, too. She thought she saw something strange in those eyes, but it was gone before she could second-guess it. What could she see in those eyes? Misery, or surprise? She hoped it was the latter.

"I can't believe I'm actually considering this." Tenzin muttered to himself. In the end, the matter was decided for him.

"KORRA/NARUTO!"

The attack came from nowhere; one moment the door was shut, the next, both benders were forced to separate as they found themselves swarmed by three windy blurs. Naruto managed a short laugh, sweeping Jinora and Ikki up into his arms in a great big hug as Meelo clambered atop Korra's head.

"Did you and Naruto kiss yet?" _Leave it to Meelo!_

"MUWAH!"

The simultaneous exhalation startled all three of them backwards, such was its force.

"W-W-W-What're you talking about, idiot!" Naruto stammered out, feeling his confidence leaking away like a cracked mason jar. "We're just friends, is all! Right?!"

Korra's face was decidedly hidden in shadow.

"Forget about that! When did you get here?!" Ikki cried, ignoring her little brother. "Are you coming to live with us on the island?!"

"I don't know," Naruto cast a searching glance at their father. "Are we? I think someone wanted us to go home..."

Before their very eyes, the Air-Bender seemed to deflate.

"I have done my best to guide Republic City towards the dream my father had for it." he began, stepping towards Korra. "But...you are right; it has fallen out of balance since he passed. I thought I should put off your training in order to uphold his legacy, but you," his hand came to rest on his shoulder, _"Are _his legacy. You may stay and train Airbending here, with me. Republic City needs its Avatar once again. And Naruto, feel free to look through whatever scrolls we may have pertaining to your...situation with shadows and whatnot."

There was a silence.

"Oh, boy." the blond plugged his ears. "Here it comes."

"YES!" Korra's shout threatened to rupture his eardrums, even plugged. "I...thank you! You're the best!"

The kids cheered, and seconds later everyone, Naruto included, found themselves lifted from the ground, wrapped up in those strong arms. Alas, the blond himself was contemplating another matter entirely. The word "shadow" had struck a chord somewhere deep within him.

Indeed, his thoughts were not on the prospect of remaining in Republic City, but with a girl. Not Korra. He found himself think of the quartet of thugs they'd confronted, and that strange girl who'd actually put up a good fight before he'd driven her off, the one person who, in her own way was like her...

* * *

_(Flashback, hours earlier...)_

_They rolled apart in a swirl of snarling shadows, the alley breaking before them. No light, only darkness, whispers of grey and black tangling snapping, snarling and spitting and spinning away. How long they fought, he'd no idea. It was impossible to tell._

_Time ceased to be in the void._

_When he dodged right she went _left_ always the opposite of him, always moving, always flowing, like a graceful dancer in the dark. Mocking. Tempting. He was still trying to figure her out; who was she, why did she have this ability,_

_"Who're you?" he asked as they spun away._

_"My street name?" the masked head tilted, regarding. Shadow."_

_"Real, name, thank you very much."_

_"Fine, fine, mister fussy-britches." Her hand rose, giving the facade a good hard yank, "Name's Naomi."_

_Naruto blinked at her, eyeing this bender who was like him, and yet was not._

_This girl, this stranger, this CRIMINAL, her deep, soulful jade eyes staring back at him beneath a curtain of deep, blood red tresses, her leggings in tatters from their scuffle, her violet jacket dirty and soiled from rolling in the street. She seemed to appraise him for a long moment, as though trying to decide if he was worth her time, worth continuing the fight, or not. She must have decided he was, because she flicked a finger at him, her gloved digits summoning a shadow and hurling a card into his waiting hand._

_He caught it deftly, turning the small white rectangle over in his hand. Etched into it was a simple symbol. A flame._

_"You're pretty good," she drawled, causing him to look up, "You ever think of joining the Agni Kais'?"_

_"A gang? No thanks."_

_"C'mon, you've got some serious skill with shadows! And here I thought I was the only one! Think of the money you could make! Or," Naomi laughed, grabbing his hand. "Would you rather follow that Avatar girl around like some lovesick puppy? Surprised? I saw what she did to those other lugs. She doesn't even look at you for crying out loud! Stop being so responsible and have some fun for once in your life, mister goody-two-shoes! Join the dark side!"_

_Naruto shook free, glowering._

_"Seriously?"_

_"Well, of course." that got him a cheeky grin from the girl, reminding him that, for all her bluster, she was nearly his own age. "We have cookies."_

_He couldn't help but smile. "Cookies? Is that your opening offer?"_

_She ducked her head, looking up at him through her dark lashes._

_"Maybe. Of course, you'd have the privilege of hanging out with the fabulous mwoh."_

_"Oh, I feel so honored." the deadpann was barely concealed._

_"Hey! I AM fabulous." Her green eyes gleamed with ambition and purpose. "I've got plans for this city. Big plans! You should be happy to know me."_

_"Naruto," Korra called, "Are you over here?!"_

_"Oops, gotta go!"_

_When he turned back, Naomi was gone._

_(End Flashback)_

* * *

That blasted card was still in his pocket.

He could feel it now, even as Korra threatened to squeeze the life out of him. A niggling sense of doubt, coupled by the realization that there was someone like him-someone who shared at least one of the strange, eerie abilities that he was cursed with. Someone who knew what it was like, who-

"Naruto?"

"Hmm? Eh?" He blinked, realizing Korra had released him at some point. Now she was looking at him. "What?" He knew that look. He knew. The not-quite glazed expression that foretold disaster. He knew that look and he also knew it was nothing good.

"What?"

Needless to say, he wasn't expecting the kiss.

"Oooh!" Jinora and Ikki squealed!

It came clear out of left field; she simply stepped up, leaned forward, and before he could stop her, laid one on him. Her lips alighted on his cheek for a moment, lingering, hanging there a touch longer than his frantic, beating heart would've liked. His body ached to reach out and do the same, to grab her, mesh his mouth to hers. But he couldn't. Wouldn't. Didn't. Even when he tried he felt the pain of the burn, the pain of being too deep in that fire, in the flame, in the agony. A cold sweat broke out of her his skin.

Hawkie screeched his disapproval, but even so, Naruto simply hadn't the will in him to overcome his trauma and respond.

In the end he was left standing there, gawping. A hand rose, touching his face.

"What was that for?"

"Nothing," she preened, taking his arm in hers and steering him back towards the innermost island. "Just happy. Really, really_...happy."_ Her head laid itself against his shoulder and for once-just this once-he didn't have the strength to shove her away. Korra was veritably glowing, such was her glee.

She certainly wouldn't be saying that after a few days of Airbending practice...

* * *

_(The next day)_

_"Be the Leaf!"_

Korra was most certainly _not _being the leaf. At least, not the one she wanted to be.

No, currently she was being smacked every which-way by flowing gates, tossed about like a leaf in a storm, not the wind! Worse, everyone kept shouting at her-telling her to go with the flow-to not force her way in, but it wasn't helping! It wasn't sinking in! This should be easy! It had to be easy! The other elements had come _so_ easily to her and she'd come so far since then

With each successive blow she felt her temper build until she wanted nothing more than to destroy the blasted things, smash them into a thousand pieces-

"Korra!" Naruto's voice barked at her suddenly, breaking through the haze. "Snowball fight!"

The flame gutted out in her hands.

"Snow-wha...

_She was suddenly twelve again, dodging a hail of snowballs in the South Pole. "Too slow!" Laughter filled her mind as she nimbly evaded the hail of icy missiles, nimbly dodging enemy fire from every side. She moved as though she were the wind, flowing with and around the balls._ Then she was back on the island, buffeted by the spinning wood. It was a small, simple memory, but the sudden realization gave her an epiphany. It was the same. They were the same.

Blue eyes brightened.

"Oh, I get it!"

When the next gate swung at her she pivoted away, slapping it with a palm and spinning with the movement. It wasn't perfect but it gave her the momentum needed to spin into the next, moving with the breeze just as it brushed the back of her neck, it

Outside the gates, Tenzin felt a small smile tug at his lips. "Well, I'll be...

Then something occurred to him. What Naruto

"Snowball fight?" he asked Naruto.

"...shit, you actually heard that, huh?" At his nod the blond sputtered, his cheeks flaring red to match his scar. "L-Look, it was something we did as kids, alright? It was Katara's idea; a new way of learning how to dodge without the pain of actually getting whacked by a water whip. I figured she would remember. And it was _drivel_ like that that got her to where she is now." A glimmer of pride flickered through his face as he watched hers and her progress, recognizing that Korra-like look in the tribeswoman's eyes as she danced.

"She really has come a long way...

Now it was Tenzin's turn to find himself on the back foot. He knew at once what Naruto meant; speaking of that conversation this morning.

_"You're not here to watch that drivel."_

"Just let her go, 'ttebayo." Naruto said, watching as Korra weaved her way around another gate. "She'll get it our of her system, then be better focused on her training. Its a win-win, ya know."

"I'll...consider it."

Naruto preened, satisfied with the answer. "You should."

"There's something you should consider, too."

Just like that, the blond went rigid. "Tenzin...if you're saying I'm a distraction to her...

"Quite the opposite." he reassured him. "She seems to do better whenever you're around her. You're a good influence. But you should consider how she feels about you." Those keen eyes didn't fail to miss the haunted expression the blond wore. He hesitated for a moment, just a moment, before speaking again. "Look, you and I haven't always seen eye to eye, and I can't really claim to know much about women, but, even I can see the way Korra looks at you. She lo-

"Don't."

The sharpness of that statement startled him; and Tenzin favored the boy with a harsh look. It was the scar. Naruto might've healed physically from the injury, but-like the mark etched into his face-some wounds never truly healed. Only time would tell.

"You can't run from this forever."

"I know." His expression turned pained. "Can we...just not talk about this now, please?"

...very well."

In the end Korra was only battered around half as much as before. She strutted toward them, bearing her injuries with pride, proud of her accomplishment. Naruto started when she grabbed his hands, doing a little hop of happiness. "Did you see that?!" she crowed, "I was really starting to get a hang of it at the end, there! Maybe this isn't so bad after all!"

"I saw it." Despite his own misgivings, Naruto found himself eager to try his own luck at the gates. "Let me try. It looks...interesting."

"What?!" instantly, she was dismayed, "No!" her hands squeezed his tighter. You'll just get hurt!"

Blue eyes rolled as he jerked himself freet. "Have some faith, your highness. Jinora?"

With a glance Tenzin's daughter sent the gates whirling again.

"Well, here goes...

Without so much as another word he stepped in.

Korrahalf-expected him to shift into his energy-form but no, the blond simply moved _with_ the gates, every flowing. Like the wind. Always ever changing direction whenever she thought he was about to get hit. When he finally did, his concentration nearly shattered. Just once, but the surprise on his face broke her from her trance as she watched him flow out of the spinning gates. The look that he wore now was positively fierce, every single cell of his body united in the effort to evade, to dodge, to be the leaf-

Then she felt the breeze.

A snake of surprise and dread slithered into her stomach. No. That didn't make any sense. Naruto had never been able to Air-Bend without suffocating outright. The other elements posed similar problems for him but he could not, would not, should not be _able_ to-

He was.

Naruto was Airbending.

It must've been subconsciously because he didn't seem to be aware of it; the force with which he'd leapt, the currents circiling around him.

Jinora gawped.

"Naruto's...

...Airbending." Tenzin finished, disbelieving. It didn't seem possible. The four elements as a whole had always been impossible-if not outright painful-for him to wield. Now the blond seemed just as baffled, staring at the circling sphere of wind in his palm, gawping as though it t'were a living, breathing thing.

Naruto blinked.

Then he saw Korra's stricken expression, the sorrow, anger, hurt, _betrayal_ in her eyes. His own fell, truly seeing the element in his palm for the first time.

"Oh, _bugger."_

* * *

_Naomi watched it all unfold from her little alcove in the dark, just outside the temple._

She saw it all in her secret place in the shadows, where not even the light could find her; saw the avatar start her shouting, arguing with Naruto. Listened as the newly-christened Airbender tried to explain himself, tried to say he had no idea how it had happened, how he'd been able to do it. She didn't listen of course, their words growing more and more heated as time wore on.

A part of her-a very small part-felt sorry for Naruto. He was just trying to live.

It was not his fault, really. He didn't know who -or what, for that matter!- he was. He didn't know about her, didn't know anything, really. He had no idea that even now he was being hunted, didn't know about the world of hurt that was going to come crashing down on his head. That he'd been able to Airbend foretold the beginning of the end; nothing could stop it now.

This world was most unkind to their kind. Their bodies were different, did not _age _in the conventional sense, but because of that, they were often made targets. Targets for them.

That group had failed-he had failed-to take the boy, and so, in time, others would come. He didn't know.

But Naomi did. She knew they would come for him because whenever someone like her found their way to this world, they always came, always hunting, looking, searching. She'd had to disguise herself to escape them all those years ago, change her very face at such a cost. She barely even remembered her old name now. She had a piece of _it_ in her, just a piece that had given her this ability so long ago, but they would inevitably try to take from her; because they would want that piece.

They always did.

But she'd watch over him, try to guide him through as best she could. It was the least she could do. The wheels were turning now, no one could stop them.

She hummed softly to herself and sank back into the shadows, sashaying away.

"Let the games begin."

**A/N: And so there you have it! NarutoxKorra, growing up together in the Avatar-verse! Initially, I had thought to go with the whole NARUKO idea, but hey, I already have a fem!Naruto and Avatar story in the works. Avatar: A Legacy Untold! After all, I've tried so many different offshoots off the Avatar genre as a whole that I finallythought to myself, you know what? I should get back to basics. And so here we are, at the start of it alll...and hilarity shall ensue! Naruto will have his chakra still, but as to being a bender...well, his situation will be...unique. Wonder what I mean? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned to find out!**

**Plots are unfolding, chaos is starting to rear its ugly head, and now Naruto can Airbend! HOW? Who-or what-exactly is Naomi, and what does she want? Will Naruto and Korra overcome the tension between the two of them?! Will they ever shut up and kiss already?!**

**FIND OUT NEXT TIME!**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! The story kicks into high gear next chapter, moving very quickly! As to the preview, It'll make you smile! In all the wrong ways...**

**(Preview!)**

_"Oi..._

_Korra sat ramrod straight, despite the numbness in her arms and legs. Even with her chi blocked, she could feel it. Now she could hear it, the steady click-click-click of someone approaching, their boots thumping out a determined, angry beat on the stones of the memorial isle. After only a few minutes, she could sense it. See it._

_Energy._

_Savage, scintilating skittered up and down his shoulders, the very air itself supercharged by the amount of power her childhood friend was bringing to bear. The very room seemed to vibrate around them, bits of stone and masonry rising from their foundations at his approach. With the moonlight at his back his body bent and shimmered, warping before her very eyes. A pair of chi blockers tried to barr his path-_

_-and Naruto cut them in half. Just like that._

_The chirping of a thousand birds screeched as one in Korra's ears as an arm moved, carving a canyon in the first's chest. Neatly bifurcating the other as if he'd done so countless times before. Perhaps he had. He never slowed down not a once, uncaring for the bloody spray jetting onto his face._

_When the blond finally stopped a few feet away, she felt her heart stop with him. He raised a finger and spoke-there was an edge to his voice, one she'd never heard before. It a knife could speak, this was what it would sound like._

_"Let. Her. Go."_

_Amon tilted his head, his masked facade offering nothing but contempt for the blond. When he spoke, he almost sounded amused._

_"No." he said. "If you want her, take her."_

_He actually hesitated at that. Just for a moment. When it happened._

_Naruto flashed his teeth in a gristly grizzly smile, letting his eyes bleed red in the darkness. Then he moved. Korra yelped, feeling herself pulled, drawn inward, yanked. Then she was in the blond's arms. __The hot, angry thud-thud-thud of his heartbeat hammered against her eardrums, pounding madly as he spun, twisted, leaped and dodged away from the enemy. He was energy-so was she-and everything felt strange, pushing, pulling and tugging at her at as they zipped backwards._

_Amon's voice called out from somewhere in the chaos. "What...are you?"_

_Naruto snarled. "I am the response to your solution."_

_What happened next would always be little more than a blur to her. At some point, he must've set her down, because she was suddenly looking up, and he was telling her to stay put, marching back into the darkness as if he OWNED it, because it did own it and now she could hear the screams of Amon's men, the screams of pain and agony..._

_Because that was when the shadows came alive._

**_R&amp;R! =D_**


	5. This Love, This Hate

**A/N: MISS ME GUYS?!**** Been too long since I've had this out here, so I decided to pick up the pen-or pencil, as it t'were-and get going! ****Well...here ya go! =D Sorry if its short! But hey, at least I'm back! And now, I present to you, the next chapter of...**

**...**Left my Heart in the Water! Also! I have a new computer now-a chromebook actually-so I apologize for any spelling errors as I get accustomed to this new system...sorry if its short! ****

****Hope ye like it! Don't worry, the angst ends this chapter! IThings move really fast! Korra has a nice moment where she really starts to change from the hotheaded girl we know...****

_"Why are you doing this to me, Naruto?! Why do you keep pushing me away?! I don't like this feeling...it hurts!"_

_"It hurts. It hurts? IT HURTS?! You nothing of pain!"_

_~an agonizing conversation between Korra and Naruto.)_

**This Love/This Hate**

"AIRBEND!"

Korra screamed at the top of her lungs and thrust her arms forward, palms splayed. She willed her chi to obey, to _emerge_, to rip that smug smile off her opponent's face and send them sailing across the island. And for a moment she thought she felt something, the tiniest of breezes moving across her cheek-no wait, that was the wind. Not her.

Nothing had happened.

Chief Lin Beifong stared back at her, utterly unflinching, stiff as could be. The newspaper seemed to mock her from its place on the clothesline, uncaring for her plight. Korra imagined that the Chief of Police was secretly laughing at her somewhere in the city and tried again, but to no avail. No amount of energy or anger could make the breeze obey. She could just imagine it; mocking her.

"What is wrong with me?!"

She gave it one last try, punching so hard she nearly dislocated a shoulder.

"Air! Bend!"

Nothing!

"RAAAAAARGH!" Infuriated, she Fire-Bended at the newspaper, charring it and the line to so much ash. "Why is this so hard?! Naruto, you made it look easy!" _Naruto._ This was all his fault. He was the reason she was so damnably hot under the collar, the reason she couldn't think straight. She had to keep telling herself that, no matter how sorry she might feel. No matter how wretched. The alternative was unacceptable. _Why do I keep doing this? He's my best friend, so why do I keep hurting him..._

Because that's exactly what she had done.

In her anger, she'd started shouting and screaming at him. He'd borne that well enough, weathered her tirade...until she'd accused him of secretly knowing how to Airbend all along.

That hadn't ended well.

Naruto wasn't even speaking to her now, couldn't even stand to be _near_ her.

When she'd tried to apologize, she'd only made it worse. That look -the anger!-_ lurking_ in those crystal blue eyes had genuinely frightened the Avatar. Even now, it made her shudder. For a moment, just a moment, the tribeswoman thought she'd seen something staring back at her; a giant, nine-tailed beast ready to swallow her whole. No words were spoken-no hands raised-but the look of disgust made her feel like a little girl all over again.

No, it was like that _day_ all over again, and it made her want to cry. Their relationship-if it could even be called that-was in flames again, and this time she'd been the one to throw the first spark.

She'd never felt so weak in all of her live and she hated it, didn't know what to do, couldn't find a way to fix it.

She could hear him somewhere across the island, the keening of the wind suggesting he was working quite hard to hone this newly awakened power with Tenzin. It wasn't fair; that should be her, over there! She'd tried her whole _life _to master the element of air-of wind-and he got it on his first try?! That tore things. She was tired. Tired of fighting, of this god-awful tension between them for the last three days; this awful wall that'd he, _she_, had unknowingly built between them.

"Maybe I'm just not cut out be an Airbender, huh, Naga?" she murmured aloud. "I don't think I'm a very good friend, either...

Her trusty friend opened a lazy eye from where she lay. Then her ears perked up. The rest of her followed a moment later.

"Hmm? Something wrong girl-HEY?!"

Abruptly, Korra found several tons of solid polar-bear-dog ushering her forward, a wet snout pushing into her back, steering her away from the grounds and towards the steps where the air gates lay. Vainly, she tried to dig her heels in; but to no effect. Naga seemed intent on forcing her forward, whether she liked it or not.

"Wai-wha-what're you doing?!"

Naga gave her another nudge towards the noise.

One way or another love-this hate-was going to end tonight.

Avatar or not, she _would_ be the one to fix this.

At some point her legs must've accepted it carried her forwards. She must have been walking; because Naruto was suddenly coming into view around the corner. To her dismay, surprise, he was actually alone. No sign of Tenzin. As she looked on his left arm rose and his right lowered, simultaneously expelling twin currents of air in either direction, sending the nearby gates spinning. A palm planted itself in the grounds, his legs wind-milling wildly as he kicked a small tornado into existence.

He was bending but there was something savage about it, something wrong. The very air seemed to protest his movements, but he made them his own, forcing the element, the chi to obey. Was that why she saw those dark, ebon streams in the wind It was elegant in is own way but it was also terribly terrifying; watching him rip the very oxygen from the air in thick black ribbons, his dance shredding both air and soil alike.

As though he were fighting a pair of invisible foes he spun and dove relentlessly, the keening of the world around him echoing his movements in despairing twine. She'd seen him bend countless things before, but to see it firsthand, to actually witness him dominating the elements, to see the red dancing in his eyes...it changed things.

She dithered a moment longer, trying to decide whether or not to make her presence known. Could she leave? Should she? _Would _she?

"..."

No. She couldn't.

...hey."

One word.

That was all it took to shatter her best friend's concentration, to send him stumbling forward on his front foot. When he jerked around she saw the anger in his eyes-a burning flame quickly smothered. Instead of smiling at her as was usually his wont, he simply grunted and began walking in the other direction. There was a coldness about him that hadn't been there before, an iciness refusing to thaw in the presence of her warmth. Her heart lurched at the sight.

"Wait."

When her hand found his wrist, she felt him tremble. He tugged away-

-and she embraced him from behind.

The hard points of her arms wrapped around the solid plane of his chest as her breasts pushed up against his shoulders, creating an inescapable prison. Trapped between feminine softness and solid muscle, he'd have to break her arms if he wanted to escape. One look at the bitter, bitter resignation in those burning blue orbs told her he wasn't willing to go that far.

When he finally spoke, his voice was little more than an anguished whisper.

"Korra...let go."

She staunchly refused.

"No. Not until I've said my piece."

"Then spit it out."

"S-So...can we talk? About us..?" the words hurried out of her in an excitable babble into his back, a side-effect of her own anxiety. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, a dozen, hundred, thousand, _million_ times sorry, alright, Naruto?" she hadn't meant to say it like that, but she didn't regret it when she felt the tension drain out of his arm, his shoulders, his very being. He seemed to stand a little straighter in her grasp, and for the first time in a long time, she had her best friend, the boy she secretly loved, back again.

"I'm sorry about the airbending bit." she went on, "I shouldn't have accused you. Its just so...frustrating. I've been trying my whole _life _to Airbend then you do it once and WHAM! You've got it down."

"I could teach you, you know." A hint of his old self resounded in those words; he actually sounded...happy.

Then Korra made the mistake of continuing.

"We should just stay like this." she murmured into his back, arms clenching tightly. "No more fighting. Just us. Together." It was the worst possible thing to say; she just didn't know it.

Just like that, the tension was back again.

Naruto writhed in her grasp, turning to shadows and slipping away. When he reformed he was facing her, his face a tight mask of anger and...disappointment?

"You really have no idea, do you?"

"What're you talking about?"

A vein began to throb in his temple, threatening to explode out of his forehead. "I've tried to be patient with you, I really have. You keep hurting me, keep doing this crap, but if you keep pretending to be ignorant about it-

"Why are you doing this to me, Naruto?!" tears gathered in her eyes as she clutched at him. "Why do you keep pushing me away?! I don't like this feeling...it hurts!"

She wasn't prepared for the laughter.

It started softly at first, a hollow chuckle, empty and devoid of mirth. Then he threw his head back and cackled. it burst out of him in a rush; it was deep, throaty sound and it genuinely unnerved her. He wasn't laughing at her Korra realized, he laughed at himself. Bitter and sad and so very angry, all that hidden behind the facade of friendship and kindness.

"It hurts. It hurts? IT HURTS?!" his head lowered, eyes cutting toward her, stabbing like chips of jagged blue diamond. You nothing of pain! Being close to the same person you care about-the same one who hurts you in unspeakable ways! And that's the kicker!" he bared another laugh. "You don't even remember!"

"What did I _do_ to make you hate me so much, huh?!" her hands closed around the lappels of his jacket, yanking. He struggled and, stubbornly, she fought him. "You've been acting so...so... weird, lately!" He tried to shove her away but she wouldn't have it; fighting, pushing and _nudging_ until they were actually grappling with one another, physically straining for dominance. "Tell me what I did! Just tell me so we can get over the damn thing already!"

Nearly two decades of tension came boiling to a head in that instant.

"YOU BURNED ME!"

Korra released him and jerked back as if she'd been slapped. Perhaps she had. His words struck her like a physical blow to the face, taking her confidence and crushing it to dust. Her eyes swung up to his face, the mark that could never truly be healed, and she suddenly looked very small to him.

"I...I thought you forgave me...

"Yeah, well, surprise! I didn't!" His red eye swiveled on her, narrow and intense. "How could you expect me to just accept that you hurt me, and be like that with you?! Look at this!" His hands jerked toward the mottled mark occupying the majority of that side of his face. "Everyday I see this! EVERY! DAY! And you just ignore it, like it never even happened! How am I supposed to live with that?!"

In that instant all she had to do was apologize again. Just say "I'm sorry" and all would be well. And she was. She really was.

But a thorn of pride pricked her and held her back. It wasn't fair. She'd already apologized for that ages ago. Why should she have to do so again? "W-Well maybe if you'd stop being so hung up on it and move on-

_**"KORRA!"**_

His fist was suddenly there, crashing into her stomach with all the force of a falling comet. The next blow knocked the air clear out of her lungs, and a third sent her sprawling across the stones. An angry crackle of light filled the air and everything was suddenly spinning, hurting, aching. She couldn't move, couldn't think, could barely _breathe..._

"I'm not holding back this time." his voice was a growl, like a slow-moving avalanche. "Prepare yourself."

"What're you doing?!"

"Proving a point!"

Her arm jerked forward, pumping a line of fire at him.

Naruto spun away away, deflecting it with a gauntlet, his hands already crackling. Too late, Korra realized what was happening. She dropped, losing a braid as the bold arced overhead, caroming off a nearby tree before finally finding a home in the stone. She saw the White Lotus guards emerge, but a wall of shadows arose, encircling them.

Then he was on her.

Their arms crossed, his fingers knifing into her throat, knocking the breath out of her lungs. When a sparking fist swung she swatted it away-

-and found herself staring at his fingers.

"Sorry." it was a grunt. "You lose."

Lightning surged forth, striking her dead in the chest.

Every muscle clamped down. And it was over.

Korra found herself in something akin to an out-of-body experience as she watched herself get pounded every which way by her best friend...no bending involved, whatsoever. She felt the pain, felt the force push her body in the decreed direction, but in her shock, she couldn't process any of it, much less counter. A punch to her right cheek was immediately followed by one to her left, which flowed into yet another strike to her stomach, and to that a chop to the now-exposed back of her neck, summarily sending her to her knees only to be blasted backwards by the merciless kick to her face once there.

She landed unceremoniously on her rear, looking up at him in disbelief. She'd just gotten her ass handed to her. Literally. Naruto was still coming, ribbons of skin peeling from his face now, that eerie red energy slowly spreading from his scar, taking residence on his chin, throat, neck, chest...

"Now do you see?" His hand closed around her shirt, hoisting her upright to meet his face. "Take this pain and multiply it by a thousand. Then imagine feeling that pain, that emotional pain, every single day of your life, even in your sleep. And yet I bear it! Because I care about you, because you're my _precious person_, my everything, my all. But if you're going to pretend that pain doesn't exist, that the struggles we've had to get here don't _exist..._

Clenched fingers hauled her higher into the air, his scarlet fist drawn back.

...it does exist."

Naruto froze.

Korra had to physically fight not to look away when he drew her forward, those furious orbs boring into her like a devilish drill. Stubbornly, she willed herself to look him in the eye, to not back down. _Idiot._ she wanted to kick herself. And she would've if she could. This was her fault. She'd treated him like absolute crap ever since they'd come here but that was just a symptom of the pain that'd taken root in his heart, not the cause. Ever since she'd hurt him on that first fateful day he'd felt like this, pretending...ignoring...rejecting...

"Say that again."

"I said it does exist." she swallowed, clearing her suddenly dry throat, willing the tears not to fall from her bruising face. "We've been through all this crap together, ever since we were little; you've been there for me for as long as I can remember. I'm sorry I hurt you. I am. I...I've been so unfair to you, and I didn't even notice it." A hand reached down from where he held her, fingertips trailing his scar. "You...damnit, you're important to me. I...I always want you by my side. I want to s-see ya smile, hear you laugh, feel your arms around me-

"Korra...

"Shut up!" she kicked him in the shin, eliciting a yelp even as his grip slackened on her collar. "I'm not finished yet." Her cheeks were beginning to burn now but those words wouldn't stop falling from her lips. Wet tears glimmered in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks, falling freely. "You're my best fucking friend and I feel horrible without you. Because...because I lo-

He dropped her unceremoniously, looking stunned as she fell. Before she knew it, she was in his arms. Those tight limbs closed firmly around her arms pinned to her sides, her chin resting around his shoulder. "You silly girl, why did you have to say that?" He murmurred, and she was startled to feel tears spilling into her own shoulder. "Now...now I don't have an excuse anymore..."

When he finally spoke again, finally released her, he sounded almost subdued. She looked away, suddenly realizing how perilously close she'd come to confessing.

"If yo're going to watch that Pro-Bending crap...

"Yeah?"

"...then say hello to Mako and Bolin for me."

"Who? Friends of yours?" That drew an owlish blink form her. "Really?"

...kinda. Trust me, you'll know them when you see them." he gave her a distant look, and abruptly, hugged her again, tighter than before. "Hey, don't take this the wrong way but...I'm leaving." This time when he let go of her, Korra staggered.

_No._ Her heart wailed like a little girl, sanity deserting her entirely. _No no no no no! You can't leave! Not after all that!_

"Wait, wha-

"Just for a few days." he promised her. "Don't worry, I'll still be in the city. I just...I...I need to get a few things in order. Have fun at the arena, ya know!"

When she turned to ask what he'd meant, Naruto was gone.

She wouldn't see him for three more days...

* * *

_(Three days later)_

_...and she was cursing herself for being an idiot._

Without Naruto she felt rudderless, exposed, vulnerable. She was afraid. She'd seen Amon firsthand, seen what he could do. Poor Mako. He didn't deserve to go out like that. Bolin shou So she'd lashed out at the reporters at Tarrlok, challenged Amon to face her. What good had it gotten her?

It had gotten her this.

Her folly had landed her here, sprawled out on the grounds, her chi blocked, her body held in the arms of the enemy. Amon was mocking her, threatening to take her bending away, saying how easy it would be-

_"Oi..._

Korra sat ramrod straight, despite the numbness in her arms and legs. Even with her chi blocked, she could feel it. Now she could hear it, the steady click-click-click of someone approaching, their boots thumping out a determined, angry beat on the stones of the memorial isle. After only a few minutes, she could sense it. See it.

Energy.

Savage, scintilating skittered up and down his shoulders, the very air itself supercharged by the amount of power her childhood friend was bringing to bear. The very room seemed to vibrate around them, bits of stone and masonry rising from their foundations at his approach. With the moonlight at his back his body bent and shimmered, warping before her very eyes. A pair of chi blockers tried to barr his path-

-and Naruto cut them in half. Just like that.

The chirping of a thousand birds screeched as one in Korra's ears as an arm moved, carving a canyon in the first's chest. Neatly bifurcating the other as if he'd done so countless times before. Perhaps he had. He never slowed down not a once, uncaring for the bloody spray jetting onto his face.

When the blond finally stopped a few feet away, she felt her heart stop with him. He raised a finger and spoke-there was an edge to his voice, one she'd never heard before. It a knife could speak, this was what it would sound like.

"Let. Her. Go."

Amon tilted his head, his masked facade offering nothing but contempt for the blond. When he spoke, he almost sounded amused.

"No." he said. "If you want her, take her."

He actually hesitated at that. Just for a moment. When it happened, she almost didn't see it.

Naruto flashed his teeth in a gristly grizzly smile, letting his eyes bleed red in the darkness. Then he moved. Korra yelped, feeling herself pulled, drawn inward, yanked. Then she was in the blond's arms. The hot, angry thud-thud-thud of his heartbeat hammered against her eardrums, pounding madly as he spun, twisted, leaped and dodged away from the enemy. He was energy-so was she-and everything felt strange, pushing, pulling and tugging at her at as they zipped backwards.

Amon's voice called out from somewhere in the chaos. A thread of fear knitted itself into his voice. "What...are you?"

Naruto snarled. Darkness swirled around him as though it were a living entity but no, that shouldn't be possible because elements couldn't breathe, elements didn't have eyes...teeth...? What was this? What was he? His body seemed to vibrate with bloody light and those eyes...those eyes...they were white! The pain, it was making her hallucinate. Yes, that must be it it. Why else would he suddenly have tails, four tails, crimson and red and so very, very angry...

**"I am the response to your solution."**

What happened next would always be little more than a blur to the the young avatar. At some point he surely must have set her down outside the temple, because she was suddenly looking up, and he was telling her to stay put. She cried quietly, relieved and terrified all at once, not caring how his body was burning her hands, her arms, just so relieve that he was here, that he was back.

**"Hey."** his rough voice greeted her ears, but she couldn't bring herself to look into that monstrous face. **"Its okay. I'm back; I'll never leave again."**

"W-Where are you going...?"

**"To war."** Then he was moving, marching back into the darkness as if he OWNED it, because it did own it and now she could hear the screams of Amon's men, the screams of pain and agony...

Because that was when the shadows came _alive._

**A/N: And so there you have it! NarutoxKorra, growing up together in the Avatar-verse! Initially, I had thought to go with the whole NARUKO idea, but hey, I already have a fem!Naruto and Avatar story in the works. Avatar: A Legacy Untold! After all, I've tried so many different offshoots off the Avatar genre as a whole that I finallythought to myself, you know what? I should get back to basics. And so here we are, at the start of it alll...and hilarity shall ensue! Naruto will have his chakra still, but as to being a bender...well, his situation will be...unique. Wonder what I mean? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned to find out!**

**Plots are unfolding, chaos is starting to rear its ugly head, and now Naruto can Airbend! HOW? Who-or what-exactly is Naomi, and what does she want? Will Naruto and Korra overcome the tension between the two of them?! Will they ever shut up and kiss already?!**

**FIND OUT NEXT TIME!**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! The story kicks into high gear next chapter, moving very quickly! That's right, major canon shift, and I'm giving a certain character the boot for story purposes, as demanded by the fans. Because, honestly, I just don't see much point in him being here, he'd only create needless tension. As to whether Amon survived that nasty encounter with Naruto, well...you'll see...**

**(Preview!) And I believe those who are familiar with it, might recognize something from Fullmetal Alchemist here...**

_...yeah, but we'd still need another-_

_Whatever else she might've said died as the door swung open._

_A unfamiliar face strode in, their visage hidden beneath a helment._

_Naruto sighed, cradling the helmet under his arm._

_"One replacement, coming up."_

_"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Bolin gesticulated frantically. "Where did you come from, bro?!"_

_"Mako's...indisposed, remember?" He shifted, placing the helmet over his head, trying not to look at the younger brother. "I made him a promise, and I aim to keep it. We'll win this thing, 'ttebayo. And then I'll turn the equalists to bloody paste." Without so much as another word, he began donning the rest of his gear._

_Everyone cringed and the unsubtle reminder of Amon. Mako's bending was gone. Nothing could be done for him, but to avenge what he'd lost. There was a problem with that, though._

_"Um...you do know you need to Firebend, riiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaah, kriff!"_

_Naruto snapped his fingers and the locker adjacent to her exploded. Literally. It burst into flames when he snapped his fingers again, and again, setting it and everything near it alight in a massive explosion of heat and flame, the contained fireworks sending small shards of harmless metal plinking across the floor._

_Korra sweatdropped. "Y-You've gotta be kidding me. When did you learn to do that?"  
_

_"Just recently, really. Still can't do water or earth, though. Now..._

_...lets go kick some ass!"_

**_R&amp;R! =D_**


	6. Hearts A Rumble

**A/N: MISS ME GUYS?!**** Been too long since I've had this out here, so I decided to pick up the pen-or pencil, as it t'were-and get going! ****Well...here ya go! =D Sorry if its short! But hey, at least I'm back! And now, I present to you, the next chapter of...**

**...**Left my Heart in the Water! Also! I have a new computer now-a chromebook actually-so I apologize for any spelling errors as I get accustomed to this new system...sorry if its short! ****

****Hope ye like it! Don't worry, the angst ends this chapter! IThings move really fast! Korra has a nice moment where she really starts to change from the hotheaded girl we know. And yes, I have all but given Mako the boot in this story, bending wise. He's an indecisive, wishy-washy bugger who I do NOT enjoy, but he still has a role to play...just not a very major one****

****So lets clarify things and catch up and more importantly CLARIFY a few of the not-so-subtle hints I've been dropped thus far. Mako and Asami? Never met. Money for the tournament pot? The Fire Ferrets DO have it, as I will explain in this chapter. Mako? Amon took his bending during "The Revelation" and he's currently recovering at home. Up to speed? Good. As to the status of Amon after Naruto's ambush...****

****...well, this chapter should prove quite illuminating as to that. And I fully credit EvaXephon! You know why, and for what, bro! Ur awesome XD And now, Naruto and Korra finally have a moment to clear the air and see how they truly feel about one another...!****

_"Hey..._

_"Hmm?"_

_"...can you stay? Just a little while longer?"_

_~an odd conversation between Korra and Naruto.)_

**Hearts A Rumble**

_Korra could feel his hands on her._

_Those cold, clammy fingers, Amon's fingers, brushing her face. Touching her-taunting her-that deep sonorous monotone of his voice reverberating in her ears. The pitiless facade of his mask, drenched in Naruto's blood, stared down at her in the dark. He laughed, then; it was a deep, throaty sound, and it terrified her more than anything else in the world. Still closer that hand came, closer, closer, closer, until-_

_Nothing._

_She felt nothing._

_Absolutely nothing at all._

_And over it, came the laughter._

_"I told you I would destroy you!"_

* * *

"NO!"

Korra jerked upright out of the nightmare with a terrified shriek, her frenzied mind leaping out of that horrible-terrible-dream with a ferocity that nearly caused her to Fire-bend. "No! No no no no!" A pair of strong arms closed around her waist and she immediately fought them, thrashing wildly to escape. A burst of warm breath burst against her ear, only exacerbating her fears. Her eyes went white.

"Let go!" she cried! "Let go, let go, let go!"

"Will you stop?!"

"LET! ME! GO!" A pained grunt greeted her as her head snapped backwards, followed by an explosive retort as something broke. Just like that, the hold fell away, replaced by a muffled groan.

"Why do you have such a thick skull, 'ttebayo?!"

"...Naruto?"

At that Korra's mind finally began to stir, coming back to herself from the brink-the edge of the abyss. Her existence was blurred, shadowy, dim. She felt sensations that were indistinct, hazy, and unclear. Her mind was sluggish, and it took her minutes to process her first thought. All the world around her was a jumbled mess that she would never be able to put together, a chaotic storm that she would never be able to calm.

Slowly, painfully, that storm calmed itself. The world became less and less muddled, and began to make sense once more. Her mind began to recover, and her thoughts came to her more swiftly. She could now perceive the world-the room-around her clearly-and herself as well. Her memories began to return.

Who she was.

Where she was.

What she had done.

And, to her great charign, _how_ she had just blasted her best friend off the bed and onto the floor. She'd bloodied his nose.

"Um...

An awful silence pervaded the air between them.

Warm rays of morning sunshine filtered into the room, bathing his battered face in golden relief. Now, more than ever his scar stood out, but it seemed paler somehow, more a birth-mark than the remnants of the once ugly wound she'd inflicted upon him during their childhood. She half-expected one of his usual outbursts; instead she was left gawping as the whiskered warrior reached up, grabbed his nose, snapped the cartilege back into place and favored her with a indignant look.

...that hurt like_ hell."_

"Sorry." she said softly as he wiped the blood away and climbed back onto the bed behind her. Without thinking she leaned against him, laying the back of her head against his chest, ignoring his sputter of protest. She might regret it later; maybe she wouldn't. Who knew? All that she did know was that here, in this instant, she wanted to be comforted. She didn't want to think of her Avatar duties. Korra wanted to relax. Be at ease. A moment of peace and quiet.

Spirits, she just wanted a second to _breathe. _

But alas, it was not to be.

"Where am I...?"

"I brought you back to Airtemple island." his hand absently stroked her shoulder, eliciting a soft hiss as it brushed the bandages there. "You were pretty banged up."

Korra hummed softly, snatching his hand when he wasn't looking. "I was, wasn't I?"

He favored her an odd look. "You're not going to let go, are you." It was not a question, and she smiled at the restored dynamic.

_"Nope."_

Perhaps she was still feeling numb at all, but she couldn't bring herself to be angry at him. All the tension was gone. It was like he'd never left. As if he hadn't been gone for the last three days, _hadn't _vanished without a trace, hadn't...done a lot of things. A moment of quiet ease passed between them, these two friends, broken only by their own easy breathing.

"We've got to stop meeting like this." she joked.

Naruto chortled softly. "You mean the getting your ass-kicked or me bailing you out?"

"Both."

"Well, if you have a problem, then I'm the solution." he replied lightly.

It was the wrong thing to say. Those words reminded her of him.

_Amon._

Terror gripped Korra's heart in a fresh new vice, squeezing, crushing. The corners of the room seemed to close in around her, the room was too small...**!**

"Hey, it's alright." his arms reached up, steadying her as she began to hyperventilate. "I'm here. You're safe." After what felt like an eternity, Korra's breath finally came back to her. She hated herself for the moment of weakness, despised her very soul for quivering at the memory, but it had. She had. The fear was still so real, so present. Unavoidable. Undeniable. Just the thought of the masked equalist petrified her, threatening to all but turn her body to stone.

"I'm fine." she breathed. Nope! Not fine! Not at all!

Part of her-a very large part-wondered what might have been if Naruto hadn't come crashing through that wall when he did. Would her bending be gone? Worse-would _she_ be gone? Just another victim in that madman's plot? She'd never thought of dying before; the notion as alien to her as airbending itself. One did not think of death on a daily basis, and yet, she'd stared it in the face and emerged...

...not entirely unscathed.

"Why did you come back?" she muttered to Naruto at last, gazing up into those blue pools she knew so well. "I thought you were gone for good."

"Hey, I _said_ I was coming ba-OW!"

Her fingernails bit down into his palm, eliciting an angry yelp.

"Three days, Naruto."

"Three days in which I learned quite a bit!" His words sounded flimsy, even to her. "I was always planning to come back, you gotta know that - oh, what're you doing?" Her brief bout of panic momentarily subsided, she pushed him back with her superior back strength. His hands absently threaded through her hair, but even that couldn't distract the Avatar now.

"Tell me." she said, her head brushing his chin.

"Eh?"

"I want to know _why_ you came back."

"Korra-

She tilted her head and gave him the _look._

Those words dried up faster than Ozai's rule.

"I want to hear it."

"B-Blasted puppy dog eyes." For those very words, she was rewarded with the rare sight indeed; the blond actually blushed completely and totally, averted his gaze. "You know why." The flush made his scar flare, those azure orbs standing out in scarlet relief. A hand descended, stroking the dark skin of her face gently, as though he were afraid she'd shatter into glass at the slightest provocation. When he finally spoke the words all but shook her world to pieces.

_"I'd never leave my best girl alone."_

Something broke inside of Korra, then.

The proverbial dam that was her heart burst in a single sob, three days-thirty six hours of struggling to hold herself together-erupting in an instant. Naruto squawked in surprise as Korra spun against him, seized the lapels of his battered jacket and _buried_ her face in the crook of his neck, desperate to muffle the sound. It wasn't that she was weak without him; it was the fear of what might have been. The fear of losing, of dying, of...

Tears brimmed in her eyes at that unfinished thought.

"The whole time...I've been terrified!" the words rushed out of her in a torrent of tears, babbling. "I've never felt like this before and I'm not used to being by myself and I don't know what to _do..._

"Gah, easy, easy! I'm no good when you get emotional like this, oi!" he hushed her, his hand tracing smooth circles against her back. "We all have our fears...some are just harder to admit than others." It sounded like something Tenzin would say; still further proof that he was leaving her further and further behind. "Me? I hate ghosts. And the color pink. Pink ghosts! They're evil, I say! Evil~!" Alright, _there_ was the Naruto she knew, and loved.

Finally, when she was certain there wouldn't be anymore waterworks from her treacherous body, Korra found it in her laugh. It sounded weak. "Ghosts." she scrubbed at her face with the back of an eye, "You're telling me you're afraid of ghosts."

"Hey, those bastards are scary!"

"Says the man who can turn into lightning," she jibed. "What else are you afraid of?"

Naruto sputtered, his body shifting restlessly in the bed. "I...would rather not get into that! What about you?" Those blue eyes fixated on her. "What happened while I was gone?"

So she told him.

All of it, everything that had happened since he'd been gone. The thefts, the rally, Bo-Lin's capture and subsequent rescue, Mako losing his bending to Amon. The frightening days that had followed, the fear, the anguish and terror she'd stubbornly grappled with every day. Joining Tarlok's task force, the quiet anxiety that continued to grip her until she'd finally worked up the nerve to challenge Amon. Speaking of which...

"Did you get him? Please tell me you got him?"

"He got away." Naruto sighed, pinching his nose, "But I got a souvenir off him."

"Souvenir?"

"Here. I've got it in my pack." Before she could think to stop him Naruto wriggled out from underneath her at sat upright, depriving her of his warmth. He completely missed her crestfallen expression; his attention was decidedly elsewhere. As she looked on a hand dipped into the battered knapsack he always kept with him, currently lying on the floor. When he pulled out the "souvenir" in question, her heart nearly stopped.

Amon's bloodied, cracked mask stared back at her, a ruined thing on the verge of shattering.

"Naruto...

"Bastard's missing an arm, now, and this mask, of course." Her best friend preened proudly, puffing out his chest and putting his trophy away. "Although...he did surprise me, at the end. That's the reason he escaped in the first place. I'd wasted all his guys; was about to finish him off too, then he pulled out his ace. Its also how I got this."

Korra furiously fought the anxiety that welled up within her as he moved the bandages around his neck. "I'm not going to like this, am I?" As it turned out, she did not like it.

At all.

Air sucked itself out of her lungs when she saw the state of his jugular. Though possessed of an incredible healing factor, she could could see the bruises there; dark blotches where the hands had tried to choke the life out of him. She assumed that, was how Amon had lost a limb. What came next, however, trumped even that anger. Her hand was still tracing the marks when he told her:

"Bastard's a bloodbender."

_Hypocrite!_

Indignation fanned the fire of her blood; the realization that this so-called _equalist_ was a bender. She knew better than to doubt his word. Still, the rage filled her, anger and indignation gusting out of her in a small, tiny burst of fiery breath. Naruto arched an eyebrow.

"Temper."

"Sorry," she muttered, quelling the flames. "But wait, last night, it wasn't a full-

-moon?" He drawled, finishing her sentence. "I'm hardly a normal bender myself. I wouldn't be surprised to learn there are other benders like that."

"We'll need to tell Tenzin."

"And we will." He reassured her. "We'll get him."

"Then we kill Amon." Korra growled.

"Kill? Oi, now...

"Yes, kill." The lake of rage in her gut was crystallizing now, form a cold tundra of nuclear fury, blinding in its fury. No more fear. Only hate. He'd _hurt_ him. Her best friend. Tried to kill him. And for what? Some equalist bullshit that wasn't even real, just another lie, another trick, a deception she didn't understand. Korra didn't want to. She wanted him dead. Wanted to beat him, crush him, kill him...!For a moment, just a moment, her sky-blue eyes went white in this surreal rage, the Avatar State threatening to activate in response-

"I'm sorry, by the way."

This sudden change of pace caught her flatfooted, however, and the glow dimmed from her eyes.

"S-Sorry?" she sputtered, suddenly aware of his hand on hers. Oh. Oh crap. Ohcrapcrapcrap! She wasn't ready!

"Before we left," Naruto continued, rubbing at her knuckles, "I snapped at you, remember? I never apologized for that."

Now it was _Korra's _turn to color, the dark mocha of her skin brightening.

"What are you-I'm the one who should be apologizing! I started that mess, remember?" Against her will her hand-traitorous thing!-squeezed his in return.

"So we agree that we're both sorry?" Naruto laughed.

"Agreed. Its funny, though."

"What is?

"Well, we just got a mysterious donation the other day to sponsor us in the tournament...after Mako lost his bending." Korra frowned as Naruto made a sudden squelching sound, her sixth sense tingling. "You...wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Now the blond colored as the memory took him.

"Maybe...

It shamed him to think of where he'd been for the last three days. Of his lack of progress.

On the first day he had trying to track down Naomi, the elusive shadow-bender who'd tempted him on that first, fateful day. In that, he'd been at least partially successful. A few not-so-sensitive "inquiries" revealed that she'd been hiding downtown, but instead of discovering the sneaky girl, he had found someone else entirely.

A man named Mustang.

And through an agonizing ordeal he had no desire to repeat, he'd unlocked more of his latent powers, learned a new technique. The second was wasted as he enclosed himself in the city's library, desperate to find more information, and as for the third, well...

_A girl on a scooter; crashing into him. Angry exclamations, trailing off into shock, stupefied stupor, as she removed the helmet. A long lost friend. Apologies and tearful embraces. Dinner and a show. Conflicted feelings he didn't know how to return, or even if he could. He hadn't seen her in so long and she'd been so happy to see him, so **happy**-_

...I may have met an old friend. I put in a good word with her. What?!" his arms waved frantically at her expression. "I didn't know Mako lost his bending until you told me just now!"

Korra felt her heart sink.

She knew Naruto had visited Republic City once-maybe more than that, but the way he said it...

"This friend of yours...does she have a name.?"

"Asami." Naruto relented with a sigh.

"Aha!" Korra shot up out of the bed with a triumphant cry, startling him utterly.

"What?!"

"I knew it!" she cried! "I knew there was a reason she was being so darn friendly! It also explains the uniforms!"

_...hai?"_

"Well, funding or not, we still can't enter the tournament now, regardless." she muttered, sinking back down to the bed with a despondent sigh. "We're down a Fire-bender, and in this craziness, we haven't been able to find one to replace Mako." Her eyes found the floor, as though it were suddenly and wholly fascinating. "I'm not even sure Bo-Lin would agree to it...

Naruto frowned. "But if you had a firebender?"

"Well, yeah, I guess it would work, then."

"And the match is...?"

"Today. This evening, actua-

"_Berightbackloveyoubye_!"

When next she looked, Naruto was gone. Korra blinked.

"Spirits, how does he _do_ that?"

Then she realized what he'd said.

"Did he just...?"

* * *

_(Later that night...)_

Speaking of spirits, she was getting really tired of Naruto's disappearing acts.

"Where is he, where is he, WHERE IS HE?!"

Just as she said the opening match of the tournament came that evening, and as the minutes ticked down to the wire, Korra began to wonder, once more, if Naruto would keep his word. Every fiber of her being-her very soul-told her that he would, but as more and more time passed, and they were left with no choice but to forfeit, she began to doubt. Would he not be bringing them a replacement, after all?

And not just about his arrival, either.

She'd talked long and hard with herself about her feelings for the unnatural blond, and now, she was beginning to wonder if she should act on them. Naruto was her best friend-no, he was more than that. He was a part of her, just as he'd been a part of her life for as long she could remember. And the events of the last few days, had given her plenty to think about. Pema had told her a wonderful story that had her leaning towards that direction, but...should she...?

And so, Korra and the Fire Ferrets, decked out in their new uniforms, came to the one-minute mark. Patience stretched thin.

"You still think he's gonna show." Bolin had hardly spoken two words since Mako had lost his bending, but he did so now. He did not sound pleased, Korra thought.

"He'll be here." Korra muttered shucking her helmet.

"Then where the heck is he-

"ENTRY STAGE LEFT DATTEBAYO!"

Whatever else he might've said died as the door swung open with a resounding crash, nearly blasting itself clear off its hinges. Bolin jumped.

"What in the...?"

A unfamiliar face strode in, their visage hidden beneath a helmet.

Naruto sighed, cradling the helmet under his arm.

"One replacement, coming up."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Bolin gesticulated frantically. "Where did you come from, bro?! You have any idea how close we're cutting it?!"

"You're late!"

"I know, I know, but Mako's...indisposed, remember?" He shifted, placing the helmet over his head, trying not to look at the younger brother. "I was visiting him-I made him a promise, an' I aim to keep it. We'll win this thing, 'ttebayo. And then I'll turn the equalists to bloody paste." Without so much as another word, he began donning the rest of his gear. "Simple as that."

Everyone cringed and the unsubtle reminder of Amon. Mako's bending was gone. Nothing could be done for him, but to avenge what he'd lost. There was a problem with that, though.

"Um...you do know you need to Firebend, riiii_iiiiiiaaaaaaah,_ kriff!"

Naruto snapped his fingers and the locker adjacent to her exploded. Literally. It burst into flames when he snapped his fingers again, and again, setting it and everything near it alight in a massive explosion of heat and flame, the contained fireworks sending small shards of harmless metal plinking across the floor.

Korra sweatdropped. "Y-You've gotta be kidding me. When did you learn to do that?"

"Just recently, really. Still can't do water or earth, though. Now...

Before he could finish, their team was announced.

_"Introducing, in their first tournament match to date, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets!"_

The unlikely trio scurried out onto the ramp just as it moved toward the central arena.

...lets go kick some ass!"

_"And their opponents...The Red Sands Rabaroos!"_

Her eyes flicked over the competition.

Adi, a firebender.

Ula, earthbender.

Umi, waterbender.

"I'll take Umi." Naruto muttered, rubbing two fingers together, the digits sparking madly. "Wait until I do. Then hit them hard. As hard as you can."

_"Aaaaaaaand begin!"_

With a resounding clang, the first match began...

...and ended seconds later.

Naruto snapped his fingers and thrust his arms forward in the same instant, and someone went down. The blast of pure heat was like a pure explosion, he simply flung his hand forward, clicked two fingers and a stream of explosive fire blasted the waterbender right off the platform and into the water. Her teammates gawped, half-expecting some sort of foul. When none came...

Korra and Bolin didn't hesitate.

_"D-D-Dooooown goes Umi!"_ the announcer hollered, scrambling to keep up with the sudden and decisive attacks! _"Oooh, and Avatar whallops Ula! Bo-lin batters Adi! Ohhhhhh, they're in the drink, folks! And just the like that, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets win their opening match of the tournament iiiiiiin a first-round knockout!"_

Events after that were a whirlwind to Korra.

She dimly remembered cheering, Bolin snatching them both up in a bear hug. "I love you guys!" More nonsensical gibberish followed, but she barely noticed any of it; high as she was on their sudden and unexpected win against the Rabaroos. Naruto was strangely quiet throughout, his eyes averted, with only an odd comment of

"Man, talk about connecting out there...

In hindsight, perhaps she should have waited until they were alone.

But she remembered all to well, painfully so, what came next. She remembered. "Yeah, its nice to be back on track again, isn't it?" he didn't see her blush as he faced towards the locker. Her heart was hammering like a crazy tiger-dillo, refusing to calm down despite her best efforts otherwise.

"Sure is. I've missed this." Her heard lurched with those words.

And then, in the worst documented case of foot-in-your-mouth disease ever known, Korra blurted it all out.

_"Look, I really like you and I think we were meant for each other!"_

Naruto's.

Eyes.

Got.

Really.

Big.

He opened his mouth to reply...!

**A/N: OMG WHAT WILL HAPPEN?!**

**And so there you have it! NarutoxKorra, growing up together in the Avatar-verse! Initially, I had thought to go with the whole NARUKO idea, but hey, I already have a fem!Naruto and Avatar story in the works. Avatar: A Legacy Untold! After all, I've tried so many different offshoots off the Avatar genre as a whole that I finallythought to myself, you know what? I should get back to basics. And so here we are, at the start of it alll...and hilarity shall ensue! Naruto will have his chakra still, but as to being a bender...well, his situation will be...unique. Wonder what I mean? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned to find out!**

**Plots are unfolding, chaos is starting to rear its ugly head, and now Naruto can Airbend! HOW? Who-or what-exactly is Naomi, and what does she want? Will Naruto and Korra overcome the tension between the two of them?! Will they ever shut up and kiss already?!**

**FIND OUT NEXT TIME!**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! The story kicks into high gear next chapter, moving very quickly! That's right, major canon shift, and I'm giving a certain character the boot for story purposes, as demanded by the fans. Because, honestly, I just don't see much point in him being here, he'd only create needless tension. As to whether Amon survived that nasty encounter with Naruto, well...you'll see...**

**(Preview!)**

_"Come with us, Kyuubi."_

_There was an awkward silence, broken only by the sound of crackling flames. Burning buildings simmered around them, the city still smoldering from the attack. The streets were empty but for them; the avatar and her best friend; squaring off against two men in strange, red-clouded cloaks._

_Naomi whined and hid behind Naruto. "See?! You SEE?! I told you they would come! Why don't you people listen to me?!"_

_Naruto and Korra exchanged a glance. _

_"Erm...you know these guys?" Korra inquired._

_"Never seen them in my life."_

_"Then you don't mind if I roast them?"_

_"After you, m'lady!"_

_Naruto snapped his fingers in the same instant that Korra thrust her own forward._

_"Aw, shi-_

_That was all Hidan and Kakuzu had time for before their world erupted in a sea of fire._

**_R&amp;R! =D_**


	7. A Broken Circle

**A/N: HELLO! MISS ME GUYS?! I'm back with request week! I really should start calling it request month or YEAR even, since I've been on an updating frenzy as of late and its been showing no signs of stopping. Also, a wedding! So, yeah, that happened. No, no, it wasn't mine thankfully, don't really consider myself the marrying sort. I'd much rather me and my girl just buy a house and settle down. Marriage...marriage is just too complicated for my liking and in experience, rarely ends well.**

**Meh, semantics.**

**Also, I've actually gotten a fair bit of hate for this story, surprisingly. I've been accused of making Naruto a "sue" a villain, among other things. A few even demanded that I drop this, I believe the word "drivel" was used, and write something else altogether. I'm not going to name names, but...jeez, harsh, much? Now, I have gotten some good criticism, which I've since used to improve the story, but there's a fair bit of nastiness too. So lets address that, shall we?**

**Guys, this is fan-fiction. Naruto grew up in a different world here, a different time, a different place! Did ya THINK he'd just be his usual canon self? **

**NOPE!**

**On another matter, to the reviewer "Nine Mice" Naruto is not a sue. He is not a viliain, he's simply flawed, as flawed as all human beings are for that mater. And this is not drivel. I write these stories for OTHERS, not myself. I'm sorry if you don't like the story, but please don't insult me by calling it drivel. I work HARD on all of my fics to entertain others-which is damn difficult when you're working and trying to go back to school, bub.**

**If don't see you with any stories, and if you did have them, I wouldn't attack them either. Can we just agree to let bygones be bygones, mate?**

**Also, someone asked why Naruto and Korra fight so much. They're teenagers, folks. Hard-headed and stubborn as hell. There's no such thing-in my mind-as a perfect relationship, so of course they'll bicker sometimes. But at the end of the day, they really do care about one another. Love one another, even. Now...**

**...ON WITH THE STORY! Now, if you recall, we left the last chapter with a rather tense note.**

**And now, finally, FINALLY we see the culmination of many chapter's worth of tension and emotions between Korra and Naruto!**

**Needless to say...**

**...Hilarity ensues. AND THIS STORY IS OFFICIALLY M-RATED FOR A DAMN GOOD REASON! YE HAVE BEEN WARNED! This chapter is mostly Korra's perspective; the next one is Naruto's and so on...**

_"This is a bad idea."_

_"Isn't that why we're doing it?"_

_...I stand corrected."_

_~an odd conversation between Korra and Naruto.)_

**A Broken Circle**

_"Look, I really like you and I think we were meant for each other!"_

A beat of agonizing silence passed between Naruto and Korra as the words cracked between them a like a frantic whip, sharp and stinging. They hung there, too late to take back, too loud to ignore. Realizing the gravity of what she'd just said-of what she'd confessed!-the waterbender colored deeply, right to the very roots of her hair. It took everything she had not to bolt on the spot; not to hurtle past him and lock herself away where no one would ever find her. Spirits, by the blank look in his eyes, she didn't even think he'd heard her! How embarassing!

Then it happened.

Naruto's.

Eyes.

Got.

Really.

Big.

_"What?"_ the word was little more than a dry croak.

Korra opened his mouth to repeat herself...

...aaaand Naruto vanished.

_YOINK!_

Korra's only warning came when the blond literally _disappeared _into thin air. Had she not known him for years, this would've been utterly baffling. And for a handful of seconds it actually was. One moment Naruto had been standing to the east of her, his mouth hanging agape like a fish. The next he simply ceased to exist. Now, there was no telltale spark to herald his exit; no brief glimpse of bright blue to suggest he'd simply gone and morphed into lightning to make his quick escape. That would've been too obvious.

And it nearly wasn't.

_Until_ she saw his helmet clatter to the floor and noticed a shadow shoot out under the door.

Sapphire eyes bulged to the size of saucer plates.

Then they narrowed into angry white slits.

_"No you don't~!_

Tearing after the rapidly retreating shadow, the young avater ran pell-mell into the exterior hall in her haste to catch him, upturning benches and tables alike in her wake; all but demolishing anything or anyone foolish enough to get in her way. To her dismay there were quite a few obstacles that slowed or otherwise tripped her up, some of them much more vocal than others. Still, Korra liked to think that she dealt with each of them as a true Avatar should.

Noisy team?

Shove 'em aside.

Annoying fan?

Jump over him.

Equalist protester?

Earthbend that sumbitch.

In relatively short order she'd left the stadium long behind, making haste for the bridge connecting the isle to the mainland. In her anger it never even remotely occurred to her that she ought need pause for breath. Her mind was locked on this sole course of action, the desire for answers welling up in the forefront of her mind. Nothing else existed. Although her legs viciously protested such harsh treatment, the Waterbender simply told them to _shut the hell up and keep running._

"Naruto, I swear to god if you don't get back here right NOW...!"

The silence proved telling.

Thankfully, the golden luminance of the proud pro-bending arena quickly lent its light to her cause. Squinting against the spotlight's she caught the retreating streak of Naruto's shadow in the distance. It would've been another matter entirely if the blond had chosen to simply jump into the sea and swim for shore. But a master of water he was not whereas, Korra however, most certainly was. And by contrast, there was only one clear link to land. Her best friend was nothing if not repetitive in his methods.

He was also known for being supremely confident in his stealth skills.

Which meant she didn't have to look far.

Not far at all.

"Gotcha!"

Loosing a fiery blast ahead of where she suspected him to be, Korra expelled a fiery cone into his path, forcing the blond's shadow up short. Too late; he was unable to slow his momentum in time and crashed through the raging element, tumbling wildly.

"Owowowow! HOT!"

Naruto squawked loudly in equal parts surprise and pain. Flushed out of cover and into the open by the unexpected blas,t he startled Korra by turning his uncontrolled tumble into a roll and slamming into the side of an old dilapidated building, clinging to it like some sort of mad monkey. Clothes still smoldering from the heat he landed in a pointed crouch across from her, growling like some eldritch beast, sharpened fingernails digging angry red grooves into the bridge.

"Look, can you just hold...?" His expression brought her up short.

The look in his eyes was one of sheer panic.

Raw, utter terror.

Then he hissed.

Hissed!

_At her!_

"Did you just...?!"

Scarce had he reemerged from the shadows than he was gone again, crackling past her in a blinding blue bolt of lightning across the rooftops that left the young avatar reeling. Her vision burned a blinding white for an agonizing instant, the sudden dearth of her sight causing Korra to lose control over her earthbending technique and end her followup altogether. By the time she recovered he was nearly out of sight, the only sign of his presence the distant crackle of sparks against the metal roofs.

It took everything she had to scream in sheer exasperation.

"I'm serious!" she shouted at his rapidly retreating back. "Stop running!"

_"You'll never take me alive, 'ttebayo~!"_

Wow. He really could shout.

Equal parts shame and distress kept the determined Avatar forging forwards now; the first because Naruto had never blatantly run away from her like this before. The second...well, a very large part of Korra feared she might have blundered, screwed over their friendship forever by bleating out her feelings for him like some lovesick fangirl. '_Stupid, stupid, stupid KORRA!'_ she berated herself ruthlessly as she leaped after him, alighting on a nearby chimney. _'What was I thinking?! __Look, I really like you and I think we were meant for each other! Idiot! __Why didn't you just take it slow?!'_

Unfortunately she couldn't rightly tell Naruto that now, what with him running for his life. Why was he running anyway?! For the life of her she couldn't understand why; only that he seemed at least determined to put as much distance between the two of them as possible.

Needless to say, she wasn't having that.

Determined to have an answer one way or another, she gave chase.

Chaos ensued.

It continued like that for some time, Korra would corner him, and somehow Naruto would always manage to wriggle away again. It even briefly became something of a water chase when the blond berserker shifted back to wind in an attempt to escape to Air Temple island and elude her. Of course, that only narrowed his avenues of escape, _which in turn_ made it that much easier for Korra to track him down. Isolated as they were, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Eventually, one of them made a mistake.

Naruto's blunder finally came in the form of pausing to swerve around a lemur, unwilling to trod upon the poor creature in his haste to escape. By the time he gathered himself to leap again-this time aiming back out to the sea-Korra had already closed the distance in spades. A harsh stomp channeled the earth into a pillar beneath her feet, shooting the dark-skinned girl up after the blond. A jet of flame beneath her feet increased her speed tenfold, hurlin her towards him like an arrow loosed from a bow. Naruto, caught in mid-leap, suddenly found himself ripped out of the sky as a devastating right hook thundered through his guard, clenched knuckles barreling into his unsuspecting visage with all the force of an avalanche.

It was a very good punch, all things considered; perfect angle, flawless precision, just the right amount of strength to smack some sense into him without inflicting any serious damage. A startled grunt answered her.

She'd put her all into it.

That was _Korra's_ mistake.

One can't properly move when they're hanging in the air, or even dodge. And no matter how good it might have felt to slug him, she'd exhausted the last of her chi in doing so. So had Naruto with that last gust of wind. They certainly weren't going to strike the ground or a building, but what was all that blue...below...them...!

Korra realized this a heartbeat too late.

Gravity sank its claws into them.

Then they hit the water.

_Hard._

It took Korra a full three seconds before she recalled she couldn't properly bend at the moment; having exhausted herself in the chase. Still, water was her natural element and any residual panic she might have initially felt quickly evaporated as she reoriented herself in the warm, shallow depths. With quick and nimble strokes, she reached the surface and inhaled, clearing it with ease. Dark strands of hair fell into her vision, informing her that her braids had disintegrated sometime during her free fall. Or had she lost them during the chase?

Meh, semantics.

Naruto, never a fan of being wet to begin with, was already thrashing his way to the bank by the time she reached him. Somehow he'd come out of the water only a little worse for the wear. His shirt lay in tatters round his shoulders and judging by the way he was limping his right leg he wouldn't be bolting anytime soon.

Sputtering, he flopped to the shore.

"Are you done?" Korra asked, stumbling after him.

"That...depends." he rasped, expelling a lungful of water. "Are yo going to stop chasing me...now?"

"That depends." she parroted back at him. "You gonna give me an answer?"

...is there a third option?"

Her answer came in the form of a headbutt.

Unprepared for the sudden assault and with no time to defend himself Naruto slammed backwards, tumbling roughly onto the ground. Korra crashed into him with sound and fury, locking a hand around his wrist to keep him from fleeing again even as he kicked out with a knee. From there their little chase rapidly dissolved into a rough, knockdown, hair-pulling, senseless brawl, the like of which they hadn't been involved with since they were children.

At some point, they started laughing.

Korra could scarcely believe how childishly she was acting; how fun it was! He hadn't given her a good rumble like this in _years! _Eventually she put her greater strength to use and pinned him to the sand, stradling the stubborn blond. With that, the last of his resistance crumbled and he sagged back to the damp ground.

"Alright!" Soaked to the bone, Naruto gasped, holding out a hand for mercy. "Alright. I give. You caught me. Jeez, when did you get so determined?!"

"When did _you _start running with your tail between your legs?!" she shot back hotly.

"I don't know, alright?!" came the groan. "I panicked! Ow! I think you knocked a tooth loose!"

"Good!" she sniped. "I hope it hurts!"

"Wow. That's surprisingly cold!"

"So was running away!"

_"Touche!"_

Flushing deeply, the Waterbender managed to slug him in the arm before rolling off him and toppling down beside him. Wholly out of breath, she simply didn't have the strength to do much else. Naruto had indeed led her on a merry chase through the city; she didn't even know how they'd managed to make it back to Air Temple Island in the first place. Everything had been a blur. Didn't matter. She was too exhausted to even make the attempt of caring. At least things were back to normal between them now.

_Weren't they?_

"Why'd you run?" She asked into the silence, staring up at the starry sky. "Tell me the truth, this time. Please." Her hand closed around his before he could offer an excuse, stopping him cold. His hand was warm to the touch, a burning flame made flesh, and eventually, those firm fingers curled around hers.

"Like I said, I panicked, okay?" Naruto muttered crossly, coloring at the quiet affection. "I wasn't expecting you to drop that bomb on me out of the blue. You always do that, ya know? Remember?" He glanced at her, chuckling, and she felt her face warm anew despite his laughter. _"I'm the Avatar and you gotta deal with it!_ Hehehehe," the words ended with a quiet groan. "I guess we're the same. You do what you want, I do what I want, consequences be damned. I'm just still dealing with it, that's all. But I do care about you, Korra. Always have. Always will."

Korra's heart nearly burst.

A thousand tiny butterflies ran rampant in her stomach, rioting madly in a single cry, a lone, insistent demand. _Just kiss him already!_ But it wasn't enough. It was the same old-same old. Words. Reaching down with her off hand, she scooped up a handful of stand, forming a fist around the loose soil. Naruto watched her intently but didn't interrupt, opting instead to observe; watching as Korra swirled the loose element loosely. For that much she was grateful. It gave her time to think, to find the words she'd been reaching for all this time.

"I'm tired of going around in circles," she muttered, watching the coarse grains drain out of her palm and pool at her feet. "We're always like this. Always talking. Always fighting. Back and forth. I say something stupid or _you _do something dumb and we're back at each other's throats by the end of the day. Her hand curled around the rest of the sand, hardening it back into stern soil once more. "Look, what I'm trying to say, is that I care about you, too. I l...lo..." there it was again. The word she wanted to say yet couldn't, a thick emotion that trapped itself in her throat and choked her until she could barely breathe.

"Then let's break the circle." he posited. "I don't want you to hate me."

"I don't hate you!" Korra felt like tearing her hair out!

"Hate you? I'd kiss you right about now if I thought I could get away with it.

The light in Naruto's eyes died, his smile closing down sharply.

"You don't have to force yourself for my sake, Korra."

Something snapped in the young Avatar, then.

"I'm not forcing myself, stupid!"

In a blur she rolled atop him all at once, pinning the startled blond to the sand. Leaning over him, uncaring that her dark hair framed fell into Naruto's face. Korra didn't care. She chewed her lip nervously, fighting with the rising urge in her breast, but in the end, even that was swiftly overridden.

There was only the burning _need _to speak.

_"I LOVE you for crying out loud!"_ the words burst out of Korra all at once, before her hesitant heart could think to hold back. "There!" The sudden shout left her feeling weightless, as though a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. With that the damn finally burst and the floodwaters poured forth. Finally said it! I _care_ about you, damnit!" she gave him a hard shake, rattling the stunned blond against the shore. "I love everything about you! I love that you make me smile! I love when we fight, when we play word games, anything that has to do with you! Me! _Us! _I want to be with you! Spend the rest of my life with you! I don't want anyone else! In fact I want to kiss you so badly right now that its driving me crazy!"

Naruto fell silent, almost deathly so.

"Then what's stopping you?" he whispered.

Korra blinked, wondering just that.

"I don't know."

Then she lunged forward and the blond's brow shot straight to his hairline.

_"Mmmph!"_

The kiss was as sharp as it was sudden, and almost painfully awkward on Korra's part; if only because she'd never kissed a boy before. Her mouth caged his clumsily at first, their teeth clicking together in her haste to meet him, painfully infuriating until Naruto tilted his own, returning her affection with surprising gentleness and tender care on his part. But not entirely unwanted. It was a lousy attempt, but her heart warmed to it all the same, her hands finding his face and holding fast, heedless of the water rising around their knees.

Then the blond started doing something with his tongue.

Korra gasped softly, lips parting as he coaxed her onward, renewing their kiss with frightful intensity.

Her mouth molded marvelously against his, bringing with it the repressed passion of an eternity. It was everything she'd ever hoped it would be and more. Strong hands hooked beneath her legs and hoisted her upright, gripping her thighs with crushing strength, as Naruto held her aloft with his arm strength alone. The next thing Korra knew she was on her back, crushed against the sandy shores. Then he was grinding against her, and she him, each movement sending shivers of delight shooting down her spine as she arched her hips to meet him through cloth.

Korra didn't want this to stop.

She wanted _him. _

Here.

_Now._

"Too many clothes."

He laughed into her mouth.

"Stop teasing." she growled. "Not fair."

Supple fingers danced across his soaked shirt, peeling the thick film away to dance across the hardened plane of his chest. Naruto's own hands were equally explorative as he pushed her down, caressing her wide hips, gripping her firm rear and traveling northward to curl around the edges of her clothing. Eager palms fisted clumsily around his belt a moment longer before she was forced to give up and let him do it for her.

"Up?"

"Yes. God, yes..."

Korra raised her arms for him gladly, wriggling free of her uniform with only minor difficulty. The rest came next, her arm-baring shirt nearly torn from her shoulders in his haste to get at her, followed by what remained of her torn pants. The gentlest of breezes tickled her nether regions as she exposed herself to him, followed by the tiniest pang of virgin embarrassment. Vulnerability stung at her like a petulant wasp-one she forcefully shunted it aside, willing herself to relax as the blond loomed over her, admiring the way her dark skin shone in the night, watching the waves wash over her...

"Well, don't just stare!" The Avatar muttered, covering herself.

"Sorry, I can't help myself. You're beautiful."

She nearly melted into a puddle right then and there.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, you know."

"I try-ACH!"

_"Got you!"_

Pivoting her hips, she gave the baffled blond a mighty heave, tossing him to the ground so that she might straddle him once more. A small part of her took fierce pride in his startled expression, the way those bright blue eyes roamed over her breasts with naked desire, desire that piqued as a hand rose to cup them, kneading the toned flesh. Tongue swirling with his, she bucked against him, her hips grinding against his groin in silent demand, urging him to enter her, take her, fill her...!

"C'mon, you blond bastard! What are you waiting for?!"

Scarce had she done so than she experienced a firm pressure against her nether lips. Then he entered her. It was a strangely pleasant sensation, oddly devoid of the pain she'd been told to expect, the tearing she had dreaded. She had no way of knowing that years of exercise and relentless training regiments had done away with that long ago. Instead of pain-or anything resembling discomfort really-she felt only sweet satisfaction followed by bliss as she stretched to accommodate him.

"Hmm," she hummed. "There. Right there."

Then Naruto began to move, attacking her mouth with renewed ferocity, one she found herself hard-pressed to match.

With each successive thrust she felt him ram deeper into her, rough hands dancing across her hyper-sensitive skin to further fan the flames of her desire. Despite her best efforts to bite her tongue and keep quiet Korra found herself moaning, audibly crying out as her lover hastened his place. She placed her hands upon the taut plane of chest and began to bounce against him, making more of an up and down motion with her hips. She could feel it coming now a building pressure in her core, rushing toward release as he thrust into the very depths of her being.

Soft cries grew progressively louder and louder as their pace hastened, his mouth roaming faster, faster...faster still_. _Shrieking as he thrust harder, until, until.._.UNTIL...!_

Korra exhaled explosively as her orgasm hit with the force of a rolling hurricane, eyes sliding shut as his seed spilled into her and she arched her head back.

"NARUTO~!"

Sex on the beach took on an entirely new meaning on that glorious, wonderful night.

**A/N: Jeez, that was steamy! Believe it or not, this was going to be a LOT more grpahic, but I had to cut out some stuff for fear of violating the site's explicit policy.**

**Good lord though, that last line was CORNY. Totally worth it, though. This is the nearest thing I've written in regards to a lemon in some time, and after that whole debacle with the site targeting M-rated stories way back, I've been rather leery of it. Seriously, there are stories on here that are pure SMUT and mine get targeted for a few scenes? Anywho, I've backed this story and a number of others up just in case it seems too explicit, but still...**

**...lets just cross our fingers and pray this stays up, shall we?**

**Plots are unfolding, chaos is starting to rear its ugly head, and who knows what is to come...?**

**FIND OUT NEXT TIME!**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? Omake or preview, This oughta make ya giggle~!**

**(Preview(s)!)**

_"Come with us, Kyuubi."_

_There was an awkward silence, broken only by the sound of crackling flames. Burning buildings simmered around them, the city still smoldering from the attack. The streets were empty but for them; the avatar and her best friend; squaring off against two men in strange, red-clouded cloaks._

_Naomi whined and hid behind Naruto. "See?! You SEE?! I told you they would come! Why don't you people listen to me?!"_

_Naruto and Korra exchanged a glance._

_"Erm...you know these guys?" Korra inquired._

_"Never seen them in my life."_

_"Then you don't mind if I roast them?"_

_"After you, m'lady!"_

_Naruto snapped his fingers in the same instant that Korra thrust her own forward._

_"Aw, shi-_

_That was all Hidan and Kakuzu had time for before their world erupted in a sea of fire._

* * *

**OMAKE:**

**Never Mess with a Man's Ramen.**

_Naruto stared at the shattered esbablishment. The glorious restaurant that had once served his favorite meal; the glorious restaurant that made the best noodles in Republic City._

_Now a smoldering ruin._

_Blue eyes twitched._

_"That's it."_

_Narrowed._

**_"EVERYTHING DIES~!"_**

_His arms rose slowly-ponderously. His right hand coated in violent arcs of lightning, the left, a shrieking column of wind. Korra took a swift step backwards. The enemy, not nearly as agile, had only a heartbeat to realize his peril before the blazing blond pressed his twin techniques together, molding them into a keening sphere. As the Avatar looked on Naruto forcibly exhaled, breathing a line of azure flame into the swirling vortex. Took up with the wind, the seething maelstrom flared in his palms, burning brighter than any sun._

_The master of the Rinnegan frowned._

_"Did I touch a nerve?"_

_You pressed the Ramen button!" Korra called out, struggling to mak herself over the storm._

_"The what...?"_

_Like a million little knives on glass, the shriek rose into the air, snaring the attention of the entire block in one savage, snarling note. A hand rose, cradling the newly formed element-a weapon of mass destruction in its own right-holding it aloft like a blazing blue torch in the night. The astral bender cradled it for a moment more, eyes blazing._

_"YOU SHOULDN'TA DID THAT!"_

_Then he threw it._

_"GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS STORY! RASENSHURIKEN!"_

_Hard._

_Pein swore._

_I have blundered._

**_R&amp;R! =D_**


End file.
